29S 

 GRAPE. 



VIGNE. Vitis t vinifera, vulpina. 



THE Grape Vine is described by Loudon, as a trailing 

 deciduous hardy shrub, with a twisted irregular stem, and 

 long flexible branches, decumbent, like those of the bramble, 

 or supporting themselves when near other trees, by means 

 of tendrils, like the pea. The leaves are large, lobed, 

 entire, or serrated and downy, or smooth, green in Summer, 

 but when mature, those of varieties in which the predomi- 

 nating colour is red, constantly change to, or are tinged 

 with some shade of that colour ; and those of white, green, 

 or yellow grapes, as constantly change to a yellow, and are 

 never in the least tinged either with purple, red, or scarlet. 

 The breadth of the leaves varies from five to seven or 

 ten inches, and the length of the foot stalks from four 

 to eight inches. The flowers are produced on the shoots of 

 the same year, which shoots generally proceed from those 

 of the year preceding : they are in the form of a raceme, of 

 a greenish white colour, and fragrant odour, appearing in 

 the open air in June ; and the fruit, which is of the berry 

 kind, attains such maturity as the season and situation admit, 

 by the middle or end of September. The berry, or grape, 

 is generally globular, but often ovate, oval, oblong, or fin. 

 ger-shaped ; the colours green, red, yellow, amber, and 

 black, or a variegation of two or more of these colours. 

 The skin is smooth, the pulp and juice of a dulcet, poignant, 

 elevated, generous flavour. Every berry ought to enclose 

 five small heart, or pear-shaped stones ; though, as some 

 generally fail, they have seldom more than three, and some 

 varieties, as they attain a certain age, as the Ascalon, or 

 sultana raisin, none. The weight of a berry depends not 

 only on its size, but on the thickness of its skin and texture 

 of the flesh, the lightest being the thin-skinned and juicy 

 sorts, as the sweet water or muscadine ; and what are 

 considered as large-berried of these varieties, will weigh 

 from five to seven penny-weights, and measure from one to 

 two-thirds of an inch in girth. A good sized bunch of the. 



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