186 



ON THE AGE AND 



At Northallerton, in Yorkshire, there is a Vine 

 now (1789) growing, that once covered a space 

 containing 137 square yards ; and it is judged, 

 that, if it had been permitted, when in its 

 greatest vigour, to extend itself, it might have co- 

 vered three or four times that area. The circum- 

 ference of the trunk, or stem, a little above the 

 surface of the ground, is three feet eleven inches. 

 It is supposed to have been planted 150 years ago; 

 but from its great age, and from an injudicious 

 management, it is now, and has long been, in a 

 very declining state. 



There are many other Vines growing at North- 

 allerton, which are remarkable for their size and 

 vigour. 



The soil is light and rich, of a dark colour, and 

 inclining to sand. 



In the King's garden at Hampton-Court, there 

 is a Vine of the Black Hamburgh Grape now 

 (1805) growing under, and occupying the whole 

 of a glass-framed roof of an unusual extent. 

 When I saw this magnificent Vine in 1788, the crop 

 of grapes was only moderate, and the bunches, in 

 general, very small. But since then I have from 

 time to time been informed of its having often pro- 



during winter multiplied the number of the flocks and herds, 

 which, in their turn, contributed to the fertility of the soil." 



The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire^ 

 by Edward Gibbon, Esq. vol. i. chap. ii. page 52. 



