VIT1S, GRAPEVINE. 271 



The large lobe is five-&-a-half inches long, & the two middle ones are four and a quarter 

 inches. 



The grape cluster is very big. The grapes are oval, and ever so slightly larger at 

 the top than at the stem. They're an inch high and ten lignes in diameter, often bigger than 

 that. The skin is thick & firm, deep purple with much bloom. The flesh is bluish-white 

 and juicy. The juice is not very flavorful if the fruit is very ripe, but it's tart if it's not. The 

 grape contains one or two large seeds. 



This grape, much more pleasant to look at than to taste & more suitable as a 

 decoration for desserts than on its own, ripens with difficulty in our climate. Merlet calls 

 it the African Grape & has identified a variety with white fruit. The one that he calls 

 Maroquin or Barbaron is a big round purple grape that isn't any better. 



XII. GRAPEVINE with the longest grape, cucumber-shaped and white. 

 White CORNICHON. (PL VI.) 



The leaves of this grapevine are large and so little indented that they appear to be 

 almost entire. The denticulation is large & sharp. The large lobe is six inches long; the 

 two middle ones are four to five inches. The stalk is thick and five to six inches long. 



The cluster does not contain very many grapes. The grapes are long, fourteen to 

 nineteen lignes by six lignes at their largest diameter, which is a little nearer to the top 

 than it is to the other end. They're curved like a gherkin & becomes smaller near the stalk 

 & much more so at the top without coming to a sharp point. The skin is firm with a lot of 

 bloom, a very light green or whitish color that turns slightly yellow when the fruit 

 matures. Its flesh is juicy, white, and transparent. The juice is sweet & sugary when the 

 fruit is fully ripe. 



