FEBRUARY. 
23 
Vine is a vigorous grower; foliage very distinct, and covered with down. I 
should certainly advise Mr. Saul, or any one else, to plant the true Alicante if 
they want a really handsome late black Grape. 
Keele Hall, William Hill. 
Your correspondent, Mr. Saul, in the Florist and Pomologist for last 
month, asks what difference there is between the Black Prince and Black 
Alicante Grapes. The answer I shall give him is, As much difference as there 
is between the Black Hamburgh and Black Prince. In the first place, there is a 
very great difference in the two Vines even in a dormant state ; the outer bark 
of the Black Prince is quite smooth, whilst that of the true Black Alicante is 
rough, and has a white downy appearance. The foliage is also quite distinct 
from that of the Black Prince, being covered with a delicate white down. 
The berries in size and colour are more like Plums, and covered when ripe and 
well-grown with a beautiful jet-black bloom. It is in appearance not unlike 
Lady Downes’, with this difference that it is much handsomer bunch, being 
better shouldered, and producing longer and larger berries. It is also a much 
freer setter than Lady Downes’, and will hang longer in good condition on the 
Vine. It is well-known that Black Prince will not hang long after it is ripe 
without shrivelling, whereas the true Black Alicante will hang in fine condition 
four months or more after it is quite ripe; then again the Alicante retains its 
foliage on the Vine fresh and green, long after the Black Prince has shed its 
leaves; in fact, I know of no other Grape Vine that retains its foliage so long 
as the Alicante. I should strongly advise Mr. Saul to plant it largely in his 
new vineries, as I consider it one of the very best Grapes in cultivation. 
Oulton Park. J. Wills. 
In the present volume of the Florist and Pomologist, page 11, Mr. 
Saul invites information respecting the Black Alicante and Black Prince 
Grapes. Like himself, I have known the latter since boyhood, and can state 
with confidence that there is but little resemblance between the two. I have 
seen good crops of the Black Alicante in this quarter, especially at Lord Wood- 
house’s, Kimberly Hall; and Mr. Lee, the intelligent gardener there, sent me 
the following account of that late-keeping Grape :— 
“ The Black Alicante is what I call a large-shouldered, compact bunch, 
larger berries than the Black Prince ; also the Vine is stronger, and the under 
side of the leaves more downy, and hangs longer than the Black Prince. The 
best quality of the Black Alicante is its long keeping.” 
Although out of place, I may mention, that Mr. Saul at page 8 has given 
some very useful hints .concerning Vine-borders, especially deep and shallow 
ones. The borders here are about 4 or 5 feet deep; in one of which, the 
Vines have been fruitful upwards of forty years. Some of their stems are a 
foot round, and the produce of last season was as good as that of thirty years 
ago. The borders were made nearly upon the surface soil, according to the 
late Mr. Crawshay’s plan, who excelled in Vine-culture. 
Cossey Park. J. Wighton. 
[We have been favoured by Mr. Lee, of Kimberley Hall, with a bunch, of the Black 
Alicante to which Mr. Wighton refers, and on comparison we found it, if not identical, at 
least so similar to Mr. Meredith’s, exhibited on the 21st ult. at Kensington, that we could 
not distinguish the difference. The bunch is large and shouldered; the berries long, oval, 
jet black; the skin tough, and flesh tender, and of excellent flavour. We believe this to be 
a perfectly distinct Grape from the Kempsey Alicante, or Cox’s Alicante, which we have no 
doubt is the same as Black Morocco. Mr. Hill sent us a bunch of each of these (Kempsey 
