636 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



The temperature of our late vineries we find in- 

 sufficient to ripen it properly. Synonyms — St 

 Peter's, Black Palestine, Oldacre's West's St 

 Peter's. 



Sweetwater. — Bunches medium sized, loose, 

 the foot-stalks of the fruit stiff, and the berries 

 set apart from each other more than in most 

 grapes ; berries large ; form globular ; colour 

 greenish white while ripening; when perfectly so 

 they become more white, and shaded with a 

 slight russety tinge if well exposed to the sun ; 

 flesh watery and sweet, but not high flavoured. 

 An excellent forcer, and ripens even earlier than 

 the Royal muscadine, whether on the open wall 

 or in the forcing-house. Its greatest fault is that 

 it does not set well, particularly if the vines are 

 old. Synonyms — Stillward's sweetwater, Butch 

 sweettcater, Chasselas royal, Chasselas precoce, 

 Water zoete Mane of the Dutch. They also call 

 it Parel druyf, and force it in large quantities, 

 often by dung-heat, for the public markets. 



Tokay, white. — Bunches compact, medium 

 sized ; berries oval ; colour white ; skin thin. 

 An excellent grape, either for the vinery or 

 open wall. In both situations it is an abundant 

 bearer. From this variety the fine Tokay wine 

 of Hungary is made. It appears to be less cul- 

 tivated in Britain than it deserves. 



Tokay, Charlsworth. — Bunches compact, me- 

 dium sized ; berries oval ; colour white ; skin 

 thick ; flavour somewhat resembling the Muscat 

 of Alexandria. A modern grape of great excel- 

 lence, and an abundant bearer, requiring the 

 temperature of the vinery. Rogers considers 

 this inferior to the White tokay in point of bear- 

 ing. Our own experience does not lead us to 

 think so. It has been long known in Cheshire, 

 and was cultivated, Mr Rogers says, many years 

 ago in the gardens of the Earl of Stamford. 



Trebbiana grape. — Very similar to the Tokay 

 in growth, size, period of ripening, flesh, and 

 flavour, somewhat shorter in the berry, less 

 liable to shrivel after being ripe than either 

 the Muscat of Alexandria or its nearer ally the 

 Tokay. Like these grapes, it requires heat to 

 ripen it, and has been pronounced by Mr Beaton, 

 one of our highest authorities, as the next best 

 white grape to the Muscat. And Mr Tillery of 

 Welbeck adds his highly respectable testimony 

 to its merits, describing it as a fine- shouldered 

 bunch, in colour resembling a well-ripened 

 Muscat, and capable of keeping unshrivelled 

 until the end of February or beginning of 

 March. Mr Beaton says it is of Italian origin, 

 and that it was introduced into Britain by the 

 late Earl Powis about twenty-seven years ago. 

 Mr Tillery gives Portugal as its native country, 

 and conjectures it to be a seedling between the 

 White muscat and the White Portugal grape of 

 the shops. In culture it should be planted 

 along with the Muscats and Black St Peter's, all 

 of which require much heat to ripen well. 



Verdal. — Bunches loose ; berries round and 

 white ; skin thin. Of excellent quality, and 

 very early ; well adapted for pot culture. 



Worthy Hall grape. — Bunches large, well 

 shouldered, much in the way of the Black 

 Hamburg ; berries large ; form roundish ovate ; 

 colour glossy dark purple ; flavour sweet, 



pleasant, and slightly musky ; seeds large, only 

 one generally in each berry. An excellent late 

 grape, which mainly induces us to add it to our 

 list, as all late and good-keeping grapes are de- 

 sirable, because they carry the grape season 

 through the winter, when such fruit is most 

 acceptable, and also obviate the necessity of 

 forcing at the most unnatural season. Accord- 

 ing to Lindley, this variety "sprang up from seed 

 in the stove at Wortley Hall, in Yorkshire, and 

 first bore fruit in 1819." 



To these the following names of new or little- 

 known sorts may be added : Black Barbarossa 

 and White Barbarossa, noted for their late keep- 

 ing ; bunches long ; berries oval ; skin thick ; 

 flavour excellent when ripe. De Cheras, Gros 

 Coulard, a white grape of good quality, with 

 very large berries, fitted for the vinery only. 

 Noir d'Espagne, a round purple grape of good 

 quality, having in general but one seed in each 

 berry. Of modern introduction. 



Raisin de Calabre. — Bunches long ; berries 

 white, round, with a thin skin, adapted to the 

 vinery ; quality second-rate, but having the pro- 

 perty of hanging long on the vine after it is ripe 

 without shrivelling, rendering it an acquisition 

 to those who wish for grapes during the winter. 

 Synonym — Calabrian raisin. 



The Isabella and Catawba, American varieties, 

 long since proved in England and found want- 

 ing, are at present in course of being thrust upon 

 the attention of fruit-collectors by some of the 

 London trade. Foxey-tasted grapes will not suit 

 English palates. Indeed, from the native grapes 

 of America, which have originated from Vitis la- 

 brusca, and not from Vitis vinifera, we have 

 nothing good to expect, for, as one of their own 

 best pomological writers observes, " The varie- 

 ties of grapes at present grown are chiefly the 

 finer sorts of the wild species, or, which is most 

 generally the case, they are accidentally im- 

 proved varieties that have sprung up in woods 

 and fields from wild vines. They are therefore 

 but one remove from a wild state ; and as ex- 

 tensive trials are now being made by various 

 cultivators to produce new varieties from these, 

 there is little doubt that in a few years we 

 shall have many new sorts, combining the good 

 qualities of the best foreign grapes with the 

 hardiness of the indigenous ones." Such, there- 

 fore, being the case with the grapes of America, 

 we need not look forward to any important 

 addition to our own present stock from that 

 quarter. The Isabella and Catavjba are at pre- 

 sent amongst the most valuable of American 

 grapes, yet in Britain no one cares to eat them. 



The following Persian grapes are in cultivation 

 to a limited extent in this country. Their merits, 

 however, have not as yet been sufficiently de- 

 termined : — Faskbee, Hoolookee, Kamadanee, 

 Keshmushee or Kishmish, Kohlauree, Lauree, 

 Yek-yendee, and some others. 



The names of the following grapes are pro- 

 nounced as under : Chasselas musque — Shah- 

 slah meus-kay ; Chasselas de Fontainebleau — 

 Shah-slah de Fon-tan-blo ; Ciotat — Se-o-tah ; 

 Lenoir — Lun-war. 



Diseases and insects. — The vine may be said to 

 be naturally almost exempt from disease; the 



