CHAPTER XIV. 



THE GRAPE VINE. 



The Vine (Vitis vinifera L.) is the oldest fruit- 

 bearing plant we read of, with the exception of 

 the apple and the fig. That it was cultivated 

 extensively in the antediluvian world we have 

 pretty good evidence ; for Noah had no sooner 

 escaped from the general destruction of mankind 

 by the Deluge than he set about planting a vine- 

 yard and made wine, showing that he was not 

 ignorant of the plant, its culture, and its use. 

 It is, however, strange that the veritable native 

 country of the vine is still by no means satisfac- 

 torily known. It is probable that it existed in 

 an indigenous state over a vast portion of Asia, 

 where the climate was suited to its growth. An 

 interesting account of its introduction into 

 Egypt, Greece, and Sicily is given by Dr Sickler, 

 and how it found its way into Spain, Italy, and 

 France, in which latter country it is believed 

 that it has been cultivated since the second 

 century. At what period it was first received 

 into Britain is our present inquiry, and in search 

 of that we must go back to the entrance of the 

 Eoman armies into this country. Some deter- 

 mine its date of introduction to be about ten 

 years after the Christian era, the Romans having 

 at that time full possession of this island; others 

 think it was not till about the year 280, when 

 Probus, a great encourager of agriculture in all 

 the Roman provinces, was emperor. That it 

 was introduced prior to that date is confirmed 

 by the historic fact, that at this time license was 

 granted to the inhabitants of the various pro- 

 vinces to plant vineyards; and the Britons are 

 expressly said by Vopiscus to have been included 

 among the number who partook of this decree. 

 Some have attributed its introduction to the 

 Phoenicians, who, it is well known, traded to 

 the southern coasts of Britain for tin so early 

 as the days of Solomon; and as they are said to 

 have planted the vine, which they brought from 

 Palestine, in the isles of the Mediterranean Sea, 

 it is not unlikely they brought it to Britain also. 

 The venerable Bede says that vineyards were 

 growing in several places in his time (731). 

 They are particularly noticed in " Doomsday 

 Book," and William of Malmesbury,in the twelfth 

 century, commends the county of Gloucester as 

 excelling all other parts of England in the 

 quantity and quality of its wines. 



The vine was at one time cultivated for the 

 purpose of wine-making in Britain with almost 



as much success as in France. The Duke of 

 Norfolk had, at Arundel Castle, in Sussex, a 

 vineyard, from which an immense quantity of 

 Burgundy was made ; and the celebrated vine- 

 yard at Pain's Hill, in Surrey, was noted for 

 many years for the excellence of its champagne. 

 It is noticed by Miller and Langley, and more 

 particularly by Barry, in his "History of 

 Wines." Switzer gives us the names of many 

 who grew the grape for wine-making in his day, 

 amongst which he particularly mentions Rocque 

 of Walham Green, Warner of Rotherhithe, the 

 Duke of Rutland at Belvoir Castle, and others, 

 who grew the grape and made excellent wine ; 

 certainly a proof that the climate was more 

 favourable in Britain than it has since been. 



In America, the grape-vines cultivated in 

 Europe are much sought after. In the milder 

 states vineyards are established, and vineries 

 under glass rapidly increasing, and most of our 

 known sorts are already cultivated there. The 

 native grape of America is Vitis labrusca. It is 

 described by one of their best pomological 

 writers as "usually stronger in their growth 

 than those of the Old World, with larger and 

 more entire foliage, and, in their native state, 

 with a peculiar foxy odour or flavour, and more 

 or less hardness of pulp." Although the native 

 vine of America does not possess the same 

 excellent properties as the Asiatic or European 

 cultivated sorts, still it makes good wine, and 

 attains a prodigious magnitude, " several having 

 been measured on the banks of the Ohio, the 

 stems of which were 3 feet in circumference, and 

 the branches 200 feet long." The extent to which 

 the vine might be trained in a favourable climate 

 is unknown ; the two largest ever seen in England 

 were, the vine grown against a house in the pub- 

 lic street in Northallerton, long since dead, which 

 covered a space of 137 square yards, and that 

 at Valentines, in Essex, about 147 square yards. 

 The celebrated Hampton Court vine covers the 

 roof of a glass-house, about 116 square yards in 

 area; that at Cumberland Lodge, near Windsor, 

 somewhat more ; and yet these latter vines are 

 impatient of restraint, and would extend much 

 farther if allowed ; they are computed to pro- 

 duce annually 2200 bunches each, averaging 1 lb. 

 each, or nearly a ton weight. The vine at North- 

 allerton, when cut down, had a trunk of no 

 less than 4 feet in circumference near the ground. 



