66 



NOMENCLATURE OP GRAPES. 



restorer of Italian agriculture, enumerates forty varieties which 

 were peculiar to the peninsula in the third century. (Opulus 

 Ruralium^ commodorum, lib. iv. cap. 3 and 4.) Alonzo de 

 Herrara distinguished important differences in fifteen of the 

 principal Spanish varieties. (Agricultura Generalis, lib. iii. 

 cap. 2.) 



Lestiniin his travels in Asia gives the names of twenty-one 

 varieties of grapes cultivated at Cyzique, which proves that 

 they knew how to distinguish them in Asia Minor as they do 

 in France. 



Tusser, in 1560, mentions, only " white and red," grapes. 

 Parkinson, who was more of a horticulturist, gives in 1629 a 

 list of twenty-three sorts, including the white muscadine, and 

 several others now common in our gardens. Ray, in 1688. 

 enumerates thirteen sorts, as then most in request. Rea, in 

 1702, gives most of those in Ray's lists, and adds five more 

 kinds, recommending the red, white, and the D'Arbois or 

 royal muscadine, two frontignac varieties, and the blood red, 

 as best suited for the climate of England. Bradley, in 1 724, 

 gives a list of forty-nine varieties, as then most esteemed in 

 France, but does not attempt to reconcile their identity with 

 the names in English catalogues. Miller describes fifty-two 

 varieties^ and adds the names of about a dozen more. 

 Speechly enumerates in detail fifty varieties, and gives a list, 

 with short descriptions, of about twenty others, but many of 

 these are synonymous. Forsyth, in his last and much im- 

 proved edition, describes fifty-five varieties, and gives the 

 names of twenty-eight more, but even with the increased cir- 

 cumspection of that author, he has placed a number under 

 different names which are identically the same fruit. Mr. 

 London in his " descriptive catalogue," enumerates fifty-six 

 varieties, and states that he could have extended the list to 

 triple that number, but unattended with sufficient descriptive 

 particulars to render it of real use. The four last named au- 

 thors of course refer to grapes cultivated in Britain. 



In the last edition of the celebrated work of Duhammel du 

 Monceau, entitled, " Traite des Arbres fruitiers, Art. Vigne, 5 ' 



