112 Notice of the most Remarkable Varieties of Fruit, fyc. 



ingly agreeable muscat flavour. Seeds generally two in each berry, 

 but sometimes none perfect. The foreign name of this excellent 

 sort is not known at present, but will probably be discovered, and 

 its history developed as the progressive investigation of the extensive 

 collection in the Garden of the Society is proceeded with. 



On the 24th of February 1 834, the following communication was 

 sent to the Society relating to the Nice Black Cluster Grape ; fruit 

 of which was subsequently received. 



" The Nice Black Cluster, I have no hesitation in saying, if 

 planted against southern walls facing any point between S. E. and 

 S. W., or against the fronts of houses or trellised to balconies, will 

 ripen in ordinary seasons at London by the end of September or 

 beginning of October sufficiently for the purpose of making wine of 

 the nature of Champagne, and much better than half the Cham- 

 pagne sold in London. But for this purpose I recommend to use 

 the pure juice only, without any admixture of sugar and water, or 

 brandy. It is also an excellent grape for a cool, late forcing house 

 not being liable to rot, nor do the berries wither so much when kept 

 late on the plant, as is the case with many other kinds ; this is 

 rather an unusual circumstance considering that it is not a fleshy 

 grape. It is remarkably juicy, and the seeds readily separate in the 

 mouth without trouble. I only gathered the last from my grapery 

 three days ago and they were still very juicy, notwithstanding the dry 

 heat and ventilation they were exposed to from the daily fire in the 

 flue, made in order to prevent their rotting. By reference to the 

 long article on Grapes cultivated in Burgundy, in Miller's Gardener's 

 Dictionary, you will observe the finest Burgundy is made from a 

 variety of the Auvernat Grape having its bunches formed with 

 loose berries. But owing to the tenderness of the grape, planters 

 in general, for the sake of quantity at the expence of quality, culti- 

 vate the more hardy sorts with crowded berries. Now I have 



