CHAPTER XIX 



THE VINE 

 By OWEN THOMAS 



With the introduction of more convenient and economical methods of building 

 and heating glass-houses, with increased knowledge in the cultivation of the 

 vine, grapes have been brought within the reach of millions to whom before 

 they were nothing but a name. Vine culture under glass in this country has 

 now reached such proportions that some of the largest growers annually export 

 quantities of grapes to America after supplying the greatly increased and ever- 

 increasing demands at home. This fact will give some idea of the extent of 

 glass-houses devoted to the culture of grapes for market in Britain, and also 

 indicate why the price of grapes has fallen so considerably the last fifteen or 

 twenty years. This great change is due in some measure to the improved 

 methods of preserving late grapes. Before the advent of the varieties Lady 

 Downes, Black Alicante, and Gros Colmar, Black Hamburgh, Barbarossa, and 

 West's St. Peters were the varieties depended on for a late supply, and after 

 Christmas they were rarely had in good condition. The end of May as a rule 

 was the earliest date at which ripe Black Hamburgh grapes could be had, so 

 that for nearly five months no ripe grapes were forthcoming from British 

 gardens. One cannot wonder that early grapes were so valuable ; they were 

 so much thought of some twenty or thirty years ago as often to fetch from 15s. 

 to 20s. per lb. 



There seems no doubt that the history of the vine can be traced to an 

 earlier period than most exotic or hardy fruits now generally grown in Britain. 

 It certainly has a most remarkable record, for even in early Scripture mention 

 is frequently made of the vine, more particularly of its use for wine-making. 



The grape vine [Fitis vinifera) is found growing wild in the temperate 

 regions of Western Asia and Southern Europe, and is usually supposed to be a 

 native of Southern Asia Minor. De Candolle, in L'Origine des Plantes Cultivees, 

 says of the grape vine that it grows there with the luxuriant wildness of a 

 tropical creeper, clinging to tall trees, and producing abundant fruit without 

 pruning or cultivation. Its dissemination by birds and other agencies must have 

 begun very early, perhaps before the existence of man in Europe or even in 

 Asia. Records of the cultivation of the grape and of the making of wine in 

 Egypt go back 5000 to 6000 years (Nicholson). The exact period of the 

 introduction of the vine into this country is not known, but it is generally 

 conceded to be about the year 10 a.d., at which time the Romans had possession 

 of some portion of our island. The Romans, therefore, are usually credited 



