March 23, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
229 
A n advertisement has been sent to us in which the “ new white 
Grape—Chasselas Napoleon ”—is offered for'sale by the highly 
respectable firm of Messrs. W. Cutbush & Son. The whole stock 
is said to have been acquired from the raiser, Mr. G. Reynolds of 
Gunnersbury Park Gardens, the statement being made in undoubted 
good faith. 
On page 199 of our issue of the 9th inst., Mr. D. Thomson of 
Drumlanrig states that he has known a Grape under the same name 
for thirty years answering exactly to the description conveyed in 
the advertisement. We are requested to look into the subject on 
the ground that it is a serious matter to purchase a new Grape that 
may eventually prove to be an old one. The matter is undoubtedly 
serious, and the more so if the Grape from which so much is hoped 
prove disappointing. We propose, therefore, as in duty bound, to 
tell the vendors and the public something of what we know of the 
Grape that has been grown for eighty years, and probably much 
longer, as the Chasselas Napoleon. It is, as its name implies, a 
French Grape, and one of the finest when seen in the form of full 
bunches of large berries, which is rare, while full crops of such 
bunches are rarer still. 
The true name of the Grape is “ Panse Jaune,” which we may 
add in plain English means “ Yellow Belly.” Expressive but not 
elegant this name may be thought, and it is possible that the 
French preferred the more euphonious alternative Chasselas 
Napoleon. Under this name the Grape has been long grown, both 
in France and England, but not very extensively because of 
drawbacks in two important respects—namely, the Vine being an 
uncertain (generally a shy) bearer and a bad setter. 
The following description of Panse Jaune (Chasselas Napoleon) 
was taken from a Vine audits fruit in the Chiswick collection thirty 
years ago ;— 
When the bunches are well set they are large and handsome, long, 
tapering, and shouldered. Berries very large, oblong, and like those of 
Muscat of Alexandria in appearance. Skin tough and membranous, 
adhering to the flesh, of an amber colour, and covered with a thin grey 
bloom. Flesh firm, sweet, but not richly flavoured. It is very rarely 
that this Grape sets its bunches perfectly. The condition in which it is 
usually met with is very few bunches on the Vine, and these so badly set 
that there are only a few fully developed berries on each bunch. The 
leaves die pale brown. 
We are able to add, as corroborative evidence of the accuracy of 
the above description, the testimony of one of the greatest French 
authorities on Vines. In 1854. Comte Odart published the 
third edition of his Ampelographie Universdle, a report of the 
Vines grown in French and foreign vineyards. The distinguished 
author describes the fruit as large, oval, pale amber, vinous, but 
not rich, and goes on to say that sometimes a Vine produces only 
one or two fine bunches, and a common feature is to find two or 
three large berries and the majority the size of hempseed. The 
Comte further states that he had grown the variety for forty years, 
and that he had found by experiments that the Vine gave the 
worst results on its own roots, better returns on the Muscat stock, 
and better still when grafted on the White Frontignan. He 
recommends “ long pruning ” as the best method of securing 
bunches, but is emphatic in describing it as what we term a “ bad 
setter.” We have thus clear evidence that the variety is a very 
old one, and it is probably one of the oldest of French Grapes. 
No, 665.— VoL. XXVI., Third Series. 
The question now arises as to whether the “ new ” variety 
offered is distinct from the genuine Chasselas Napoleon. The 
descriptions in the advertisement by different writers agree in the 
“ Chasselas Napoleon,” exhibited by Mr. Reynolds in 1891, having 
large oval Muscat-like berries, but paler, and of refreshing (not 
Muscat) flavour. Those characteristics clearly pertain to this 
Grape, but the Gunnersbury bunches were described as|large and 
compact, and it is stated in one paper that the bunch was cut 
from a Vine worked upon a Muscat. 
Now, it is of course possible that Mr. Reynolds may have raised 
the variety from seed at some time and somewhere, then established 
it on the Muscat, and it is possible that a new seedling may be 
similar to an ancient variety ; but the public is entitled to have 
definite information on the point, also to know why an English 
gardener should give a French name to his seedling, and 
especially when the description of the fruit agrees so exactly 
with that of the long established French Chasselas Napoleon that 
was, as we have said, grown and fruited at Chiswick thirty years 
ago ? 
It is of course true that the Vines offered for sale were obtained 
from the “raiser ” of them. He would naturally raise them from 
eyes, but we are without clear evidence respecting the origin of the 
Vine from which the fruit of Chasselas Napoleon was cut that was 
exhibited in a collection at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society on October 27th, 1891, and certificated. Before such an 
award was made a discussion should have ensued respecting both 
the distinctness of the Grape as an English seedling and its claim 
to an old French name. 
In connection with this subject of nomenclature we have been 
asked to explain the meaning of the term “ Chasselas,” and, so far 
as we know, it is here given for the first time. “ Chasselas ” is the. 
French name for an eating Grape well known in that country.. 
The French dictionaries do not explain the derivation of the word, 
but the root of it seems to be in Casale, Chasal, Chazale, Chazalis,, 
and Chastel. The meaning underlying all these is that of castle, 
manor house, or mansion. The most plausible explanation, there¬ 
fore, of the word is “ lord of the manor’s or the castle Grape.” 
Perhaps the original was first cultivated by the monks in the abbeys 
and priories, and hence extended to the houses of the feudal lords, 
where only such a garden luxury was likely to be found in these 
days when most of the country was uncultivated and unenclosed. 
This derivation is borne out by the German equivalent “ Gutedel,” 
which means “ the noble estate ” or manor. 
In all probability the Panse Jaune, subsequently Chasselas 
Napoleon, is one of the ancient Grapes of France, a variety not 
commonly grown in vineyards because of its shy bearing and bad 
setting peculiarities, but was practically, because of its fine appear¬ 
ance, retained in the gardens of the nobles for the purpose of having 
a fine bunch now and then as something of a novelty on their 
tables. 
In the old days artificial fertilisation was not resorted to, nor was 
it in the Chiswick trials above referred to, or possibly the few 
bunches might have been better furnished with large berries, in the 
same way as those of Alnwick Seedling are improved. In the 
Journal of Horticulture (October 29th, 1891, page 372) it is stated 
that a first-class certificate was awarded for the Gunnersbury 
bunch of Chasselas Napoleon, “ as it was in extremely fine con¬ 
dition.” This was clearly intended to indicate that this was 
unusual in the old Grape that was in the mind of our reporter, and' 
he made no reference whatever to the bunch exhibited being a new 
variety. He was evidently under the impression that the bunch 
was generally understood to represent the old French Grape in 
exceptionally good form. (The Gardeners' Chronicle clearly 
described the Grape exhibited as a “French variety,” October 31st, 
1891, page 528). The Committee are entitled to award the high 
honour of a first-class certificate to old varieties distinct in character 
and of proved usefulness, but for a Grape seen for the first time in 
No. 232J.—VoL. LXXXVIIL, Old Skriks 
