V 



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modifications, and can no longer be considered 

 so safe a guide as in our species. 



But different as thesei(seeds are among them- 

 selves they have a character in common, which 

 distinguishes them from all our American 

 Grape seeds ; their beak is narrower and usu- 

 ally longer, and their large chalaza (the area 

 on the back of the seed) occupies the upper 

 half and not the centre of the seed; in the 

 American species the beak is shorter and more 

 abrupt ; the chalaza, usually smaller, and often 

 not circular, but narrower, is placed in the 

 centre of the back. Any one who wishes to 

 satisfy himself of this need only compare a 

 raisin seed with any of our grape seeds, if the 

 following cuts are not plain enough. 



The size and weight of the seeds varies 

 greatly in the different species, thus Labrusca 

 and Candicans have the largest, Cinerea and Ri- 

 paria the smallest seeds, but even in the wild 

 state 1 we find variation, e. g., in JSstivalis, still 

 more in Cordifolia, and most in Riparia. In 

 Vinifera, the European grape, however, the 

 variations are much greater, greater even some 

 times than our figures show. Some have laid 

 stress on the color of the seeds, which varies 

 between brown and yellowish, but that seems 

 to me to go too far for our purposes. 



The cuts of 33 Grape seeds, here represented, 

 illustrate the different characters which have 

 been mentioned above. The figures are mag- 

 nified four times (four diameters), accompa- 

 nied by an outline of natural size. They all 

 represent the back of the seed. 



Fig. 1 and 2, Vitis Labrusca, seeds of wild plants ; 

 fig. 1 from the District of Columbia, and fig. 2 from 

 the mountains of East Tennessee. The seeds of the 

 cultivated varieties do not differ from these ; they are 

 all large, notched on top ; chalaza generally depressed 

 and no raphe is visible in the groove which extends 

 from the chalaza to the notch. 



Figs. 3 to 5 represent seeds of cultivated forms, 

 which all show evident signs of hybridity and acknowl- 

 edge the parentage of Labrusca by the form and size of 

 the seed as well as bv the irregular arrangement of 

 the tendrils. Fig. 3 is the seed of the Taylor Grape, 

 which stands near Riparia. Fig. 4 is the seed of the 

 Clinton, which has, perhaps, the same parents. Fig. 5, 

 seed of the Delaware Grape, which possibly may be a 

 hybrid of Labrusca with Vinifera. 



Figs. 6 to 8, Vitis Candicans ; seed similar to those of 

 Labrusca, but broader, generally with a shorter beak, 

 and less distinctly notched. Figs. 6 and 7 are from 

 Texas, the latter broader and with a broader beak ; 

 fig. 8 comes from South Florida, and is still broader 

 and shorter. 



Fig 9, Vitis Caribsea, similar to the last, but smaller ; 

 seeds short and thick, and deeply notched. 



Figs. 10 and 11, Vitis Californica, seeds often smaller, 

 scarcely or not at all notched, raphe indistinct or quite 

 invisible ; chalaza narrow and long. Fig. 10 represents 



a single seed (one only in a berry) from near San Fran- 

 cisco; fig. 11 is one of four seeds from San Bernardino, 

 in Southern California. 



Fig. 12, Vitis Monticola ; seed very similar to those of 

 the last species, thick, notched, without a distinct 

 raphe, and with a long and narrow chalaza. 



Figs. 13 and 14, Vitis Arizonica, from the Santa Rita 

 Mountains ; seeds small, slightly notched, with a more 

 or less distinct but flat raphe. 



Figs. 15 to 17, Vitis JSstivalis ; seeds rather larger, 

 cord-like raphe and more or less circular chalaza 

 strongly developed ; all the seeds are from wild grapes 

 gathered about St. Louis ; the seeds of the cultivated 

 forms, Northern and Southern, are similar. Figs. 15 

 and 16 are from berries with only one or two seeds ; 

 fig. 17 is narrower, and from a larger four-seeded berry. 

 Fig. 18, Vitis Cinerea, a seed similar to the last, with 

 the same strong raphe, but smaller in size, and often 

 single. 



Figs. 19 and 2\ Vitis Cordifolia; seeds also similar to 

 the two last, but raphe not quite so prominent, mostly 

 single or in twos, rarely more in a berry ; fig. 19 comes 

 from a larger berry, with more seeds, found near St. 

 Louis; fig. 20 is a single seed, from the District of 

 Columbia. 



Fig. 21, Vitis Palmata; seed large, almost globose, 

 with a very short beak, a narrow chalaza, no raphe 

 visible, top slightly depressed. 



Figs. 22 to 25, Vitis Riparia; seeds srmilar to the 

 last, but smaller, though quite variable in size. The 

 seeds all come from wild plants ; figs. 22 and 23, from 

 Goat Island on the Niagara Falls; fig. 22 a single 

 broad seed ; fig. 23 from a three-seeded berry ; fig. 24 

 from a two-seeded berry from the shores of Lake 

 Champlain, in Vermont ; fig. 25, seed of the June 

 grape from the banks of the Mississippi below St. 

 Louis. The seeds are obtuse, or very slightly de- 

 pressed on top, chalaza rather flat, elongated and 

 gradually lost in a groove which encloses the scarcely 

 prominent raphe. 



Figs. 26 and 27, Vitis Rupestris; fig. 26 from a two- 

 seeded berry from Texas, and fig. 27 from a four- 

 seeded one from Missouri. The top of the seed is 

 obtuse, not notched, and the raphe very inconspicu- 

 ous in the Texan seed, or invisible in that from Mis- 

 souri. 



Figs. 28 to 32, Vitis Vinifera, from the Old World. 

 Different forms are introduced here for comparison 

 with the American species, and to show how much 

 they differ among themselves. Fig. 28 represents a 

 seed out of a lot of grapes (or raisins) found with 

 an Egyptian mummy, and probably now 3,030 years 

 old, or older. The specimens are preserved in the 

 Egyptian Museum of Berlin. The berry obligingly 

 donated to me was as large as the larger European 

 cultivated grapes, and enclosed three seeds. It will be 

 seen that it is the largest of the Vinifera seeds figured 

 here, showing perhaps a slight modification of the seed 

 in the ages that intervened between its and our times. 

 Fig. 29, Brusca, the native species of Tuscany 

 (Northern Italy) , fig. 30, Riesling, cultivated on the 

 banks of the Rhine ; fig. 31, Gutedel (Chasselas), from 

 the same region; fig. 32, Black Hamburg, from a 

 grapery near London. All these seeds are easily dis- 

 tinguished from all American grape seeds, by the nar- 

 rower and usually longer beak (or lower part), an 



