DESCRIBING GRAPES 93 



ward over the top of the seed. This raphe, or 

 cord, is much larger and more prominent in 

 some varieties than in others. 



The flavor of a grape, as of any other fruit, 

 should not be a matter of individual opinion, 

 but should be recorded as a plain fact. Flavor 

 depends on the degree of acidity of the fruit. 

 Some grapes may be called sweet, perhaps, 

 and all varieties undoubtedly contain consid- 

 erable quantities of saccharine matter. Never- 

 theless, the acids nearly always predominate 

 over the sugars to such an extent as to furnish 

 the real basis of the flavor. Most grapes, 

 therefore, are mild acid, sour, or very sour. 



The quality may be poor,, fair, good, or very 

 good. As in the case of other fruits, these 

 terms represent a personal judgment on the 

 part of the one who writes the description. 

 (This point is fully discussed in Chapter IV., 



page 55-) 



The season may best be described by giving 

 the date at which the fruit is really ripe and 

 fit for table use at the point where it is grown. 

 Some varieties keep much better than others, 

 holding in storage for months even, and such 

 sorts might be said to have a long season. 

 Any such observations regarding keeping 



