524 [ THE VINE. 



productive, preferring short or half-long pruning. The 

 leaves are large, soft, slightly and irregularly five-lobed, 

 obtusely toothed, light green and smooth on the upper 

 surface, with a cobweb of hairs on the lower surface, and 

 with a long, thin, reddish leaf-stalk. The bunches are 

 fairly large, broad and irregular, sometime winged, 

 rather compact and often loose, but never shanked. The 

 berries are fairly large, round, waxy white, later becom- 

 ing transparent and of a golden yellow colour. The 

 flesh is rather soft, juicy, sweet, with a saline flavour 

 and highly aromatic. The name /. francisa is also 

 given by mistake to various other sorts of round or oval- 

 berried white grapes. 



39. INSOLJA FRANCIZA TAL IMBID. (Ft. Gros blanc 

 de la Moselle). Probably introduced during the rule of 

 the Order of St. John, its cultivation has remained 

 restricted to Dingli, Fiddien, Imtahleb and Bahria. The 

 vine is very vigorous and very productive, with long 

 canes requiring half-long or long pruning. The leaves 

 are large or middling, light green and rugose on the 

 upper surface, with hardly an/ angle or with overlapping 

 lobes, and with abundant tufts of hairs on the lower sur- 

 face. The form is pentagonal with five lobes, obtusely 

 toothed, and the leaf-stalk is short, streaked pink. The 

 bunch is very large, cylindrical, winged, compact or 

 somewhat loose, but not shanked, with a short thick 

 yellowish peduncle. The berries are roundish, oval or 

 elliptical, very variable in size in the same bunch, of a 

 greenish yellow colour, with a good bloom, and mottled 

 or marbled rust. The flesh is soft, very juicy, very 

 sweet and aromatic. It is justly appreciated in France 

 for the production of Moselle wines, and yields here 

 light white wines of good keeping quality. Deserves to 

 be more \videly cultivated. 



40. INSOLJA FRANCISA TAX-XIAMPANJA or Ix-XiAM- 

 PANJA. This misleading denomination is given to the 



