396 ELEMENTARY STUDIES IN BOTANY 



literally " melon apple." When it came into cultivation in 

 Jamaica it was called " grape-fruit " because the fruit is 

 borne in clusters of three to fifteen, like a cluster of huge 

 grapes. It has also been called " fruit of Paradise " and 

 " forbidden fruit/' and the pear-shaped varieties, which now 

 seldom appear in market, are called " shaddocks." 



Grape-fruits are cultivated extensively in India, the West 

 Indies, Florida, and California, but most of the cultivated 

 varieties have been developed in Florida, where it is grown 

 to greatest perfection. Its commercial cultivation extended 

 from Florida to Jamaica and California. The grape-fruit is 

 cultivated like the orange, but it is more sensitive to cold, 

 and in the destructive winter of 1894-1895 all the trees were 

 killed in northern and central Florida. 



Vine Fruits 



104. Grape. The grape is probably the oldest fruit in 

 cultivation, and its chief use has been the manufacture of 

 wine. The grape of history is Vitis vinifera (the specific 

 name means " wine-bearing "), and it is probably of Asiatic 

 origin. Although the chief use of grapes is to manufacture 

 wine, a secondary use is the production of raisins, and in 

 the United States there has been developed a notable series 

 of " table grapes." 



The grape in this country has had a most interesting his- 

 tory. The early settlers naturally tried to introduce the 

 European Vitis vinifera, but after persistent effort its cul- 

 tivation had to be abandoned on account of a destructive 

 disease that attacked it. Then attention was given to the 

 possibilities of the native American grapes, of which there 

 are numerous species. A species of the Atlantic coast 

 region (Vitis Labrusca) has been most developed, and its 

 cultivated varieties were produced to eat rather than to 

 drink. Among them are such well-known grapes as the 

 Concord and Catawba. The United States is responsible, 



