GRAPES. 373 



Black Chasselas. See Hlnck Muxrmlin<'. 



BLACK CLUSTER (Mack Hunjnivlj : HI nek ILn-ilhn : llnr- 

 I!l<nT Cliivwr; /v//7// Jlluck : Morillmi Xoir ; li,itu: 

 r /i'/VW/;///). Bunches, small, very compact, cylindrical, ami 

 occasionally shouldered. Berries, generally oval, inclining to roundish. 

 Skin, thin, bine-black, covered with blue bloom. Flesh, juicy, sweet, 

 and richly flavoured. 



Ripens well against a wall in the open air, and is one of the host 

 for this purpose. The bunches are larger than those of Miller's 

 Burgundy. 



This is one of the varieties most extensively cultivated for wine on the Rhine 

 and the Moselle, and it also furnishes the greater part of the Champagne and Bur- 

 gundy wines. 



Black Constantia. See Purple Comtantia. 



BLACK CORINTH (Currant; Corintlu X,,ir ; r.i^nUna X<>ra ; 

 A'njn /V/.s-.sv ni ; Zantr). Bunches, compact, small, and short. Berries, 

 small and round, not larger than a pea, with some larger ones inter- 

 spersed. Skin, thin, black, and covered with blue bloom. Flesh, 

 juicy, sweet, richly flavoured, and without seeds. 



It produces small, insignificant bunches and berries, and though the 

 fruit is of good flavour, it is a variety which is grown more for curiosity 

 than for any merit it possesses. It requires the heat of a vinery. 



It is from the Black Corinth that the " currants " of the grocers are produced, 

 and "currant" is merely a corruption of corinth. It is extensively grown in 

 Zante and Cephalonia, and the fruit when gathered is simply dried on the 

 ground in the sun, and this accounts for the presence of small stones and eaith 

 Ibund in grocers' currants, necessitating their being washed before they are used. 



BLACK DAMASCUS (Damascus; Worksop Manor). Bunches, 

 large and loose. Berries, large and round, interspersed with others of 

 small size. Skin, thin, but tough, of a deep black colour. Flesh, 

 juicy, sweet, and richly flavoured. 



A first-rate late grape, requiring the heat of a hothouse to bring it 

 to perfection. 



I have not been able to ascertain the original name of this grape, but it was 

 called Black Damascus by Speechly, who was the first to describe it, from having 

 been introduced to this country from Damascus by Edward, ninth Duke of Norfolk, 

 arid cultivated at Welbeck many years prior to his decease in 1777. 



BLACK FRONTIGNAN (Muscat Xoir ; Muscat Xoir Ordinaire ; 

 Sir William Ibm-leif* Uhick). Bunches, pretty large, cylindrical, some- 

 what loose, and occasionally shouldered. Berries, small, round, and 

 unequal in size. Skin, thin, blue-black, and covered with blue bloom. 

 Flesh, firm, red, and juicy, with a rich vinous and musky flavour. 



Ripens against a wall in favourable situations and in warm seasons, 

 but is generally grown in a vinery. 



