WHEN GRAPES ARE EIPE. 241 



the cellular tissue; the flesh becomes tender, 

 melting, or juicy, and thoroughly digestible. 

 The flavor will be more or less vinous and 

 spirited, according as the sugar and acids may 

 be more or less perfectly elaborated, and as 

 the aromatic principle may be present in a 

 greater or less degree. 



But the reader may ask if there are no out- 

 ward signs by which the ripeness of the grape 

 may be determined. There certainly are such 

 signs, and they have some value. The color of 

 the skin constitutes one of these signs ; but 

 there are others which can be recognized by 

 the practiced eye alone. In purple grapes, like 

 Isabella, the color should be uniformly deep. 

 If, on holding the bunch up to the light, the 

 skin shows a tinge of red, the berries are not 

 ripe; but if the color be uniformly deep and 

 dark, with a thick bloom, it is a pretty sure 

 sign of ripeness. In dark claret-colored grapes, 

 like Catawba, the color should be pure and 

 deep, and covered with a thick bloom. In 

 light clarets, like lona, the color should be 

 bright and pure, and well covered with bloom. 

 Claret-colored grapes are sometimes described 

 as amber colored, but there is not a particle 

 of amber about them. In light or green -colored 



