THE GRAPE VINE FAMILY. 



511 



great wine and brandy producing countries now are France, 

 Spain, and Portugal, from whence the chief supplies come to 

 this country. The diiFerent qualities of wine are due to 

 differences of soil, climate, mode of manufacture, and partly 

 to the various kinds of grapes. The vine was introduced 

 into England by the Romans, and appears to have been ex- 

 tensively cultivated by the Monks for wine-making ; but on 

 account of the uncertainty of the seasons it has long ceased 

 to be cultivated for that purpose. It is extensively grown in 

 hothouses, and the large luscious fruit of many fine varieties 

 is used for dessert. The vine attains a great age ; that at 

 Hampton Court is one hundred years old, and covers a 

 surface of 2200 square feet. Raisins are the dried berries, 

 and come to this country chiefly from Spain and Portugal. 

 Currants (a corruption of Corinth) are a small variety, 

 coming from Zante, and other islands of the Greek Archi- 

 pelago. 



Virginian Creeper (Ampelopsis hederac.ea) is a well-known 

 climbing plant, useful for covering walls and arbours, to 

 which it clings by its tendrils, and is very beautiful from its 

 leaves turning red in autumn. It is a native of North Ame- 

 rica, and by some called American Ivy and Fingered Ivy. 



Cissus discolor, and others, are well-known ornamental hot- 

 house creepers, the first being a native of Java. Some have 

 singular stems. C. planicaulis, a native of Sikkim- Himalaya, 

 has flat, broad stems, climbing to a great length over trees, 

 and presenting the appearance of machinery bands. The stems 

 of C. Livingstonia have a golden-brown, pile-like appearance, 

 and look as though cut out of copper. Several species, such 

 as C macropus and C. Bainesii, have thick gouty stems, look- 

 ing like a large mangold-wurzel above ground. The first 

 two are natives of Angola, and the last of Namaqua Land, 

 the localities where the remarkable Welwitschia has been 

 found. 



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