THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



firm, melting, very juicy, rich, and with a brisk, 

 delicious Muscat flavour, having an orange-flower 

 aroma; leaves medium sized, toothed and lohed 

 similar to White Frontignan ; vine free and 

 moderately robust in growth, very prolific ; ripens 

 well in a cool house, and on the open wall with the 

 Royal Muscadine. 



WHITE FRONTIGNAN. Bunches cylindrical, seldom 

 shouldered, long, medium sized, compact, freely 

 set ; berries medium sized, round ; skin greenish 



yellow, with a grey bloom, becoming russety when 

 highly ripened ; flesh firm, very juicy, remarkably 

 sweet, very rich, and with a high Muscat flavour ; 

 leaves deeply lobed and serrated, dying oft 7 yellow ; 

 vine free and moderately vigorous in growth ; 

 fruiting abundantly ; one of the best grapes for 

 early forcing, whether in pots or in borders ; 

 produces richly flavoured fruit in a mid-season 

 house, and ripens in a cool house, but only in 

 fine seasons perfectly. 



III. MUSCAT GRAPES. 



Varieties in this class are distinguished from Frontignans in having oval and larger berries, and a vinous juice, 

 combined with a musky flavour. The vines are also more robust in habit, and require more heat with a longer 

 time to ripen the fruit perfectly. Considerable modification has been effected in this class through cross-fertilisation, 

 but no varieties are admitted here that are not decidedly Muscat-flavoured. 



BLACK MUSCAT (Muscat Hamburgh ; Venn's Black 

 Muscat). Bunches large, with long and loose 

 shoulders, often badly set ; berries medium to large, 

 oval to roundish oval ; skin reddish, purple to 

 purplish black, covered with a fine blue bloom, 

 thin, yet tough; flesh rather firm, melting, very 

 juicy, sugary, rich, with a delicate Muscat 

 flavour ; leaves large, somewhat flaccid, deeply 

 lobed, and serrated ; vine moderately vigorous, and 

 a free bearer, though the grapes are prone to shank, 

 and this, combined with the berries setting indif- 

 ferently, has led to grafting it on various stocks, 

 especially the Black Hamburgh, on which it succeeds 

 better in a moderate temperature. To have this, 

 "one of the finest of grapes" (Rivers), in perfec- 

 tion, it requires to be grown as a mid-season variety 

 in a warm house. 



MADRESFIELD COURT (Black). Bunches long, tapering, 

 compactly shouldered ; stalk stout and short ; 

 berries large, oval or oblong, even in size ; stalks 

 short, stout and warted, setting freely ; skin tough 

 and membranous, purplish black, covered with a 

 dense blue bloom ; flesh greenish, tender, juicy, 

 sweet, and rich, having an appreciable Muscat 

 flavour ; leaves medium size, wrinkled, deeply 

 lobed, leafstalks rough, dying off dark crimson ; 

 vine moderately strong and free in growth ; shoots 

 downy, with prominent buds ; free bearing. This 

 is a very handsome grape, valuable for early and 

 mid-season use, but does not hang well through its 

 liability to crack and lose colour. Having a good 

 constitution and setting freely, it succeeds in a cool 

 house, but is seen to the best advantage as an early 

 grape, afforded the same temperature as the Black 

 Hamburgh, 



MRS. PINCE (Black). Bunches large, long, tapering, 

 shouldered, close, compact, though often badly set ; 

 berries medium-sized, oval or oblong ; berry-stalks 

 short, stout, and warted ; skin thick, tough and 

 membranous, deep purplish black, with a thick 

 blue bloom ; flesh firm, crackling, vinous, rich, 

 with a fine Muscat flavour ; leaves strong and 

 leathery, wrinkled and downy ; vine very vigor- 

 ous, long-jointed, fairly fruitful. A high-class late 

 grape, requiring the heat of a Muscat house and 

 to be started in March, as it takes a considerable 

 time to ripen perfectly. It is an excellent keeper, 

 though apt to shrivel and lose colour. It succeeds 

 fairly well in a mid-season house, and is best grown 

 on the long-pruning system. 



CANON HALL MUSCAT (White). Bunches large, broadly 

 shouldered, bluntly tapering, footstalks thick and 

 fleshy ; berries very large, bluntly oval, sometimes 

 nearly round, often set badly ; skin pale yellow, 

 thin ; flesh firm, slightly crackling, very juicy, 

 vinous, rich, with a sprightly and particularly fine 

 Muscat flavour ; leaves large, somewhat flaccid, 

 rounder and less deeply lobed than the Muscat of 

 Alexandria, dying off yellow ; vine remarkably 

 strong, having thick wood with large buds ; mode- 

 rately fruitful. This is the noblest Muscat grape. 

 The growths must be thinly disposed and not hurried 

 in the early stages, in order to secure a sturdy 

 habit and strong well-developed flowers, affording 

 plenty of heat to perfect the fruit and ripen the 

 wood. When produced in the greatest perfection 

 it brings the highest encomiums at table, and the 

 highest price in the market. 



Maa. PEARSON (White). Bunches large, 9 to 1? inches, 

 long, tapering, boldly shouldered, footstalks thick, 



