plii^t's katural histoey. 
[Book XIV. 
sidered the most fruitful : the one which has a jagged leaf is 
less productive. 
The vine known as the apiana,"^^ has received that name 
from the bee, an insect which is remarkably fond of it : there 
are two varieties of this vine. This grape, too, is covered in 
its young state with a kind of down ; the main difference be- 
tween the two varieties is, that the one ripens more rapidly 
than the other, though this last ripens with considerable 
quickness. A cold locality i-s not at all hurtful to them, 
although there is no grape that ripens sooner : these grapes, 
however, very soon rot in the rain. The wines produced by 
this grape are sweet at first, but contract a rough flavour in 
the course of years. This vine is cultivated more than any 
other in Etruria. Thus far we have made mention of the 
more celebrated vines among those which are peculiar and in- 
digenous to Italy ; the rest have been introduced from Chios 
or Thasos. 
The small Greek** grape is not inferior to the Aminean for 
the excellence of its quality : the berry is remarkably thin- 
skinned, and the cluster so extremely small,*^ that it is not 
worth while cultivating it, except on a soil of remarkable 
richness. The eugenia,'*^ so called from its high qualities, has 
been introduced into the Alban territory from the hills of 
Tauromenium : it is found, however, to thrive only there, 
for if transplanted elsewhere it degenerates immediately : in 
fact, there is in some vines so strong an attachment to their 
native soil, that they leave behind them all their high repute, 
and are never transplanted in their full entirety. This is the 
case, too, with the Ehsetian and the Allobrogian grapes, of 
which we have made mention above as the pitch-flavoured*** 
grape; these are justly deemed excellent in their own coun- 
*3 From " apis," a " bee." He alludes, it is thought, to the muscatel 
grape, said to have had its name from " musca," a " fiy an insect which 
is greatly attracted by its sweetness. 
41 Graecula. 
^•^ Fee is inclined to think that he alludes to the vine of Corinth, the 
dried fruit of whiqh are the currants of commerce. 
^6 From the Greek fuyfii^f ta. 
^'^ Now Taormina, in Sicily, where, Fee says, it is still to be found. 
The grapes are red, similar to those of Mascoli near Etna, and much 
esteemed. 
^ Picata. Seep. 221. 
