THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 311 



1" BlacTc Juhj.-^Yerj mucli like the Black Cluster. 

 An earl}'- variety. 



\ Miller^s Burgundy. — The fruit is like the two pre- 

 ceding, but it is distinguishable from the above by the 

 white-dotvn on its leaves, from the mealy appearance of 

 wuich it has derived its name. Of the three preceding, 

 varieties, Mr. Thompson gives eighty-four synonyraes, 

 and adds two varieties as distinct; the Scarlet-leaved 

 Black Cluster, a wine grape of poor quality, and the 

 Black Cluster, nice, which he represents as loose grow- 

 ing. These three, the Black Cluster, the Black July, 

 and Miller's Burgundy, so far as the fruit is concerned, 

 maybe considered the same;- they color early and ra- 

 pidly, and, when perfectly black, are as sour as any one 

 could wish ; by hanging four or five weeks, they become 

 very good ; but they are so small, and require so much 

 thinning, and usually having five large seeds, that they 

 can hardly be deemed worthy a place in the gi-apery. 



Tf Black Prince. — The bunches are long, and often 

 shouldered ; the berries are oval, of a good size, and 

 color well ; this is a good grape ; it sometimes cracks ; 

 the skin is thick, and, in this respect, is inferior to the 

 Black St. Peter|s. It 'sometimes keeps well on the vine ; 

 at other seasons it rots badly. 



\ BlacTc St. Peter's. — ^The bunches are large, long, and 

 sometimes shouldered; the berries color well, and have 

 a thin skin ; this grape also sometimes cracks. It hangs 

 well after it is ripe, and is, on this account, one of the 

 most valuable grown in the grapery. I find the keeping 

 qualities of this grape uncertain ; it some years decays 

 suddenly after it is fally ripe. 



