632 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



than the reverse ; indeed, the grape, like the 

 currant, can scarcely be over-ripened. Muscats, 

 for example, should not be cut until after they 

 have changed from a greenish white to a yellow- 

 ish colour; and the deeper coloured all the black 

 varieties are, the more certain are they of having 

 attained perfection. 



Various modes of cultivating the vine have 

 been adopted ; the aim in most cases has been 

 their production at the least amount of labour 

 and expense. Of these, attempting to grow the 

 vine in greenhouses over other plants is a 

 favourite mode with amateurs. This can never 

 be attended with a satisfactory result, as both 

 the vines and plants must be less or more sacri- 

 ficed in their turn. Growing them in wooden 

 structures heated with hot dung, although a 

 favourite practice in many parts of the Conti- 

 nent (vide vol. i., figs. 40S, 407, 408), is neither 

 very satisfactory nor profitable, and bespeaks 

 paucity in invention and means, and in this 

 country carries us back to the days of Switzer, 

 Laurence, Justice, &c. Mr French some years 

 ago revived the practice, but his vinery was large, 

 and warmth was communicated to it by placing 

 a huge ridge of warm dung along the centre, 

 which was wheeled out when fermentation had 

 nearly ceased, and replenished by wheeling more 

 in from the stable-yard, which was adjoining. 

 More recently, covering the inside of the roof 

 of cow-stables with vines, the roof being either 

 composed of more glass than usual, or being 

 entirely covered with glass tiles, has been tried, 

 the animal heat generated within being the 

 method of heating adopted. A better way, and 

 less expensive, would be to train vines to a 

 trellis over the tanks which receive the waste 

 steam or hot water from manufactories, and 

 covering them over during cold weather, during 

 night, with thin canvass. The heat ascending 

 from the water below would, at the height of 

 1 8 inches or so, be quite sufficient to ripen many 

 of the hardier sorts of grapes. The last and 

 best method is no doubt the orchard-house re- 

 commended by Mr Rivers, where the operation 

 is carried on mainly by solar heat only. Ripen- 

 ing the grape, when grown against walls in the 

 open air, by enclosing each bunch within a 

 glass vessel constructed for the purpose, no 

 doubt accelerates maturity, but the expense of 

 these glasses is nearly equal to the fruit pro- 

 duced. It has also been recommended to train 

 the vine over a bed of brickbats, flints, scoria, 

 or other heat-absorbing material, and to place 

 common hand-glasses over the parts where the 

 fruit is produced. All these and similar contri- 

 vances are but sorry representatives of a well- 

 arranged vinery, which, in the long run, will 

 certainly prove to be the cheapest and the best. 



SELECT LIST OF VARIETIES. 



Of the grapes of early days we have little 

 information handed down as to their merits; 

 the only representative we have of them is 

 the Miller's Burgundy or Miller grape — the 

 i/« Meunier of the French, according to Chaptal, 

 "Treat, sur le Vigne," vol. i. p. 169— a vine 

 of which existed in the Horticvdtural Society's 



Gardens, obtained from the remains of an 

 ancient vineyard at Tortworth, in Gloucester- 

 shire, where there have been discovered many 

 Roman antiquities, and, among others, evident 

 traces of vineyards possibly first planted by 

 that people. 



The increase of varieties that has taken 

 place in Britain is somewhere in the following 

 order : Tusser, in 1560, speaks only of red and 

 white grapes. Parkinson, in 1627, enumerates 

 twenty-three sorts. Ray, in 1688, speaks of 

 twelve sorts being most in repute. Eea, in 

 1702, mentions seventeen. Langley, in 1729, 

 describes nineteen. Speechley, in 1789, describes 

 seventy, all of which ware growing in the gar- 

 dens of Welbeok at the same time. Forsyth, in 

 1806, describes fifty-three. Lindley, in 1831, 

 sixty-two. Loudon, in " Encyclopedia of Gfarden- 

 ing," edition 1835, forty-nine. Rogers in 1834, 

 twenty-eight. Thompson, in 1842, ninety-nine, 

 and to these about a dozen have been added since. 

 Judicious cultivators, however, do not much 

 care for extensive collections, but wisely content 

 themselves with a selection of the best sorts, of 

 which the following may be considered such : 

 White Muscat of Alexandria, Black Hamburg, 

 BlacJc Prince, Chasselas musqui, Blach, White, and 

 Grizzly Frontignans, Lomhardy, Royal muscadine. 

 Blade St Peter's, White Sweetwater, Charlaworth, 

 ToTcay, and White Nice. 



The foreign lists of grapes are very extensive. 

 The catalogue published by Harvey, in 1802, of 

 the varieties of grapes in the Luxembourg, con- 

 tained no less than two hundred and sixty-seven 

 sorts; and D. Simon Roxas Clemen te of Madrid 

 describes one hundred and twenty, and enume- 

 rates thirty-six authors, who, up to his time 

 (about 1810), had written on the vine since 

 the days of Columella ; to these, half a score 

 of names might be added up to the present 

 time. 



The only grapes for out- of - door culture in 

 the climate of Britain, are — Early blade July, 

 Royal muscadine, Esperion, Black Hamburg, 

 Black Prince (Lomhardy or Black Portugal), 

 Blade cluster (Miller's Burgundy); and of these 

 the Royal muscadiiie is the best. 



Blach Prince. — Bunches long, and generally 

 without shoulders; leaves thick and fleshy; lobes 

 slightly divided, but broadly serrated round 

 their edges ; slightly tinged with red, becoming 

 of a pale red or dark purplish hue towards 

 autumn. Berries elliptical ; size, when well 

 grown and sufficiently thinned, above medium; 

 colour dark purple, with a rich blue bloom; 

 seeds large; flavour sweet, and abounding in 

 juice. A very hardy vine, a good bearer, and 

 in general colours well. A very showy grape, 

 and ripens well in a cool vinery, and in the 

 south on the open wall. Synonyms — Bteicart's 

 Black Prince, Alicant, Black Lisbon, Lomhardy 

 of some. Black Spanish, Black Valencia, Cam- 

 bridge Botanic Garden grape, Boston, Sir Abra- 

 ham Pytche's black, Pocock^s I)amascv^, 



Chasselas m/usgui. — Bunches medium, long, 

 and rather loose ; leaves small, of a fine healthy 

 green colour ; berries globular ; size medium ; 

 skin thin, and very apt to crack just before 

 ripening, if kept in a damp atmosphere. If 



