18 

 THE COMMON MUSCADINE GRAPE. 



White Muscadine. Hitt's Treatise, p. 307. Miller's Dict.ed.8. 

 White or Common Muscadine. Forsj/th's Treatise, ed. 5, p. 173. 

 White Muscadine, or Chasselas. Speechli/s Treatise, no, 27. 

 Royal Muscadine. Hort. Soc. Fruit Cat. no. 97, p. 211. 

 ? Bursarobe. Parkinson's Paradisus,p. 564. 



One of the commonest and oldest of our Grapes, 

 having been cultivated as long as we have any- 

 distinct record. It is chiefly valuable on account of 

 the certainty with which it ripens in the open air, 

 either on south walls or upon bushes trained in the 

 vineyard fashion, in favourable situations. In this 

 latter manner, a very considerable crop of fruit is 

 annually obtained by Mr. Joseph Kirke in his Nur- 

 sery at Brompton, where the accompanying drawing 

 was made last year. In almost all seasons it will 

 ripen upon walls in our southern and midland 

 counties; and in warm autumns acquires a rich 

 and excellent flavour. For the purposes of the 

 English wine-maker, it is better adapted than any 

 other white variety. 



The usual period of maturity is the middle of 

 September ; and the bunches will hang upon the 

 vines, if the season be favourable, till the beginning 

 or middle of November. 



It will be observed, that the Chasselas de Fon- 

 tainebleau Grape of the French, which is usually con- 

 sidered the same as the Common Muscadine, is not 

 included in its synonyms. It is undoubtedly true, 

 that in the fruit no perceptible diff'erence exists, 

 either in appearance, quality, or time of ripening; 

 but they do differ in this, that while the leaves of 



