EUROPEAN GRAPES DESCRIBED. 185 



RED HAMBURGH. Black Hamburgh. 



KED MUSCAT OF ALEXANDRIA. Muscat Hamburgh. 



RED RHENISH. Lombardy. 



ROYAL ASCOT (74) Plate XXIY. An oval black Vinous Grape. 

 Season : mid-season. Merits : second-rate in quality ; handsome in 

 berry, but too small in the bunch. 



VINE. Growth robust and vigorous, with a fine free constitution ; very 

 fruitful, frequently producing three or four bunches on one shoot, and also, 

 occasionally producing other bunches on the young laterals, which peculiarity 

 induced the raiser to designate it a " perpetual " bearer. Leaves large, roundish, 

 deeply toothed, dying off reddish. 



FRUIT. Bunches small, rarely exceeding half-a-pound in weight, short, broad, 

 frequently forked, or with one large shoulder ; very closely set, requiring early 

 thinning. Berries large, roundish-ovate, with stout stalks. Skin very thick, 

 purplish black, with a heavy bloom ; commences to colour very early, and 

 becomes black a long time before being ripe. Flesh very firm, with a strong, 

 piquant, plum-like flavour, becoming rich when thoroughly ripe. 



HISTORY, ETC. This was raised by the late Mr. John Standish, of Ascot, 

 from a cross between Bo wood Muscat and Muscat Troveren, and received a First 

 Class Certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society. 



CULTURAL NOTES. Succeeds well and fruits freely in any ordinary Vinery, 

 but requires a long time to ripen thoroughly. Is extremely well suited for 

 pot-culture. 



ROYAL MUSCADINE (29) Plate XXV. A round white Sweetwater 

 Grape. Season : early. Merits : first-class as to quality, and also as 

 an early free-fruiting out-door Grape; it will also keep in good 

 condition long after becoming ripe. 



SYN. Amber Muscadine, Common Muscadine, White Chasselas, 

 Ohasselas de Fontainebleau, Chasselas Hdtif de Teneri/e, Golden 

 Bordeaux, Queen Victoria, White Muscadine, White Sweetwater, etc. 



VINE. Growth very free and vigorous, with a fine constitution, the young 

 shoots slender, but ripening freely, the bark dark reddish brown ; extremely 

 fruitful. Leaves small, roundish, slightly lobed, dying off early of a pale yellow 

 colour. 



FRUIT. Bunches medium-sized or small, long, tapering, broadly shouldered, 

 and somewhat loose ; freely set. Berries small, round, pale greenish yellow, 

 becoming transparent when fully ripe, or if exposed to bright sun, the one side 

 becoming of a bright cinnamon-russet, in which condition they are very much 

 richer and sweeter. Flesh firm, yet tender, juicy, sweet, and extremely agreeable 

 to the palate. When kept until they begin to shrivel, they are extremely rich. 



HISTORY, ETC. This is a well-known Grape, which has been long grown in 

 this country, frequently as the White Sweetwater; indeed, being the better 

 Grape of the two, it is fast superseding that variety. It is the same as the 

 Chasselas de Fontainebleau of the French, or the White Chasselas, so common 

 in the Paris restaurants. Figured in the Pomological Magazine, /., p. 18, under 

 the name of Common Muscadine, but Langley and others say that these are 

 distinct varieties. 



CULTURAL NOTES. The best Grape for cultivation in the open air against 

 walls in this country. In the southern counties, in favourable seasons, it ripens 



