CLIMATE. 



from some countries where it is known to prosper. Thunberg 

 says, that grapes do not ripen very well in Japan, and are not 

 high flavoured ; but Browne and Lunan tell us that the Mus- 

 cadine grape ripens well in Jamaica, maturing all its berries 

 nearly at the same time, which it produces in clusters of from 

 eight to ten pounds weight, the pulp of the fruit having been 

 found to be less watery and more fleshy than in those of the 

 south of France, and that two crops and often three are pro- 

 duced in a year, as has been the case in some other West India 

 islands. They consider that it would yield a mellow and rich 

 wine if attention were paid to it. It is therefore remarkable 

 that sufficient attention has not been there devoted to it, even 

 to raise wine for their own consumption. The author has also, 

 at the request of several skilful horticulturists resident there, sent 

 to that island assortments of the finest varieties of grapes, and he 

 deems this ample proof, that they had been generally found to 

 succeed ; but it is possible their culture may have been con- 

 fined to the mountain lands, which are much cooler than the 

 plains. 



It appears difficult to reconcile the statements, that the 

 vine will not succeed in tropical climates, with the fact that 

 many varieties support the greatest artificial heat of our hot- 

 houses not only uninjured, but with every favourable result to 

 be derived from an increased and accelerated vegetation ; but 

 I will not discuss this point further at present, it being suffi- 

 cient for my purpose to consider the limit as set down by the 

 authors who have been referred to. 



We now come to the fact universally acknowledged and 

 adopted, that all climates are not suitable to the culture of the 

 vine. If it grows and appears to vegetate with vigour in 

 very northern climates, it is nevertheless true that its fruit 

 would not attain there to a sufficient degree of maturity ; and 

 it is an invariable truth, that beyond the fifty-first degree of 

 latitude, the juice of the grape does not possess those princi- 

 ples necessary in fermentation to produce good wine. 



It is with the vine in respect to climate as of all other vege- 

 table productions. We find at the north a vigorous growth. 



