582 



THE GRAPE. 



the size of a cherry, with an agreeable sweetness ; it ripens in September, 

 and will hang on the plant, protected by its inflated calyx, through great 

 part of the winter. It was well known to the ancients, and was cultivated 

 in most gardens till late in the last century, since which it has been neg- 

 lected. In the neighbourhood of New York the tomato is grown in large 

 quantities, and dried, and used as a sweetmeat, in which state it is most 

 excellent (G. M. 1842, p. 331). Several other hardy species, including 

 P. pubescens, also produce edible fruit. 



Sect. II. — Half-hardy or Wall Fruits. 



1268. The wall-fruits of Britain include all those which in the central 

 districts of England require the aid of a wall to bring them to perfection. 

 These are the grape, peach, nectarine, almond, apricot, fig, pomegranate, 

 love-apple, egg-plant, and Peruvian cherry. 



SuBSECT. I. — The Grape. 



1269. The Grape Vine, Vitis vinifera, L. (Vigne, Fr.; Weintrauben, Ger. ; 

 Druif, Dutch ; Vigna, Ital.^ and Vina, Span. ; Arb. Brit. vol. i. p. 477, 

 and Encyc. of Trees and Shrubs, p. 136), is a trailing or climbing deciduous 

 shrub, a native of Syria and other parts of Asia, and though enduring our 

 winters in the open garden, yet only ripening its fruit under glass or against 

 a wall. It has been in cultivation since the time of the Romans, both as 

 a wine and a table fruit. The grape abounds in tartaric acid, which in 

 general agrees with delicate persons better than any other ; and hence it is 

 universally considered one of the most wholesome of fruits. Many varieties 

 have been produced by different soils and situations on the Continent, in 

 countries where the vine is grown for many years on the same spot for wine ; 

 and by seeds in Britain, where the fruit is grown solely for the dessert. All 

 the best kinds of grapes have either been fruited in the Horticultural 

 Society's Garden, or exhibited at their shows ; and from these and other 

 sources of knowledge, Mr. Thompson has prepared for us the following 

 selections : — 



I. Grapes with round, dark, red, purple, or black berries. 



Early black July, syn. Maurillon hatif, &c. — Bunches and berries small, 

 flavour sugary ; ripe against a wall in the end of August or beginning of 

 September; the blossom easily injured by cold. This is the first grape 

 which ripens on the open walls in the neighbourhood of Paris. In 1840 

 we found it in the shops in the last week in July. 



Black Frontignan, syn. Muscat noir de Frontignan ; black Frontignac ; 

 black Constantia, &c. Bunches and berries of medium size ; flavour musky, 

 rich ; ripe in October. A very excellent grape. 



2. Grapes with oval, dark, red, purple, or black berries. 



Black Prince, syn. Sir Abraham Pytche's black. — Large long bunches, 

 large berries, flavour sweet and pleasant ; ripe in October ; deserving a place 

 in a vinery, and will also ripen on a wall. 



Black Hamburgh, syn. Frankendale, &c. — Large bunches, very large 

 berries, flavour sugary and rich ; ripe in October ; a good bearer, and deserv- 

 edly one of the most generally cultivated of grapes, whether under glass or 

 against a wall. 



Black Morocco, syn. Raisin d'Espagne, &c. — Bunches large, berries very 



