REMARKS ON VARIETIES SELECTED 43 



Gros Colmar) in the young sappy state, great care 

 being therefore required in tying the shoots down to 

 the trellis while in this stage of growth. When they be- 

 come " woody," they can be brought down to the wires 

 with safety. It was introduced into England by the late 

 Mr Rivers on behalf of M. Vibert of Angers, in 1855. 

 However, the grape remained in obscurity until about 

 1880, when public attention was directed to its existence 

 owing to the fact of Mr T. F. Rivers having obtained 

 for it a First Class Certificate from the Fruit Committee 

 of the Royal Horticultural Society, since which time it 

 has been extensively grown. It is of very easy culture. 

 Gros Colmar (syn. Gros Colman) is the largest berried 

 black grape in cultivation, the berries when well thinned 

 that is, when allowed sufficient room to develop to 

 their full size measuring quite one and a quarter inches 

 in diameter, these being quite round. The skin, although 

 described by some writers as being thick and tough, is 

 by no means so, as is conclusively proved by the fact 

 of the skin breaking when the berries are not sufficiently 

 thinned to allow them to attain to ordinary dimensions, 

 the lateral pressure causing the skin to break. When 

 well coloured the berries acquire a degree and shade of 

 blackness as well as a heavy coating of bloom peculiarly 

 their own. Flesh fairly firm and flavour when at its 

 best moderately good. Bunches, consisting generally 

 of two large shoulders from the same single stem, 

 vary from one and a half to four pounds each accord- 

 ing to the strength of individual vines, and to the 

 number of bunches left thereon for a crop. It is better 

 to cut off the smaller shoulder of the double bunches 

 for appearance's sake, and to leave one or two extra 

 bunches on each vine so trimmed to make up in weight 

 for the loss which the removal of the unsightly shoulder 

 would cause. Bunches thus trimmed are not only 

 benefited thereby in appearance, but they are also more 



