Notes on Six New Varieties of Vine, 



171 



The whole of the six species are cultivated by the natives in 

 the Deccan, and produce luxuriantly and without any difficulty. 



The finest of the species is the Hubshee, an elongated, truncated, 

 fleshy, black grape, approaching a juicy plum in firmness but in- 

 finitely sweeter, (of which I send a drawing for exhibition to the 

 Society). It is called the Hubshee by the Mahrattas from a sup- 

 posed analogy in its blackness, and square robust figure to the 

 Hubshees or natives of Abyssinia. It is also called ^jf^J Kalee 

 (black) to distinguish it from all the other species which are not 

 black ; but grapes have also a Sanscrit name and this is of some im- 

 portance; as the very fact of their having a Sanscrit name is indi- 

 cative of the remote period at which they were cultivated in India ; 

 for this remarkable language had ceased to be spoken probably for 

 ages anterior to the Moosulman conquest; and it is not probable 

 that the name by which grapes are called in Sanscrit, viz. 

 " Draxsha," would be a comparatively modern graft upon that an- 

 cient tongue. This species although fleshy, is juicy and of a very 

 fine flavour ; it is remarkable for its elongated and truncated form, 

 some of the grapes measuring one and a quarter inch in length : 

 in ripening they turn from green to dull red and finally black and 

 do not pass through an intermediate stage of yellow. 



The next most esteemed species is the Fukree an oblong, musky, 

 green grape, slightly fleshy and not nearly so large as the Hubshee ; 

 it fruits abundantly. 



The third is the Sahibee, a comparatively rare grape, it is more 

 oval in form than the Fukree, is somewhat fleshy, not very juicy 

 and has a slightly astringent and dry flavour, though sweet ; it has 

 a yellowish tinge of green when ripe, and is sometimes called 

 Keernee from a certain resemblance to the fruit of the Mimusops 

 Kauki. 



The fourth is the Be Dana, or seedless grape, as its name im- 

 plies. It is very small, globular, yellowish green, thin skinned, 

 and diaphanous, and is very delicious. It resembles the Kishmiss 



