1880 .] 
VINES AND VINE CULTURE,—-TIIE TULIP SEASON. 
147 
the open air in good seasons, but is much improved 
in flavour by being grown in a vinery in heat. 
Season. —Early. 
Merits. —Second-rate. 
Black Muscat op Alexandria.— A synonym 
of Muscat Hamburgh.: which see. 
Black Portugal.— A synonym of Alicante : 
which see. 
Black Prince (3).—An oval black Sweet¬ 
water Grape.— Synonyms: Pocock’s Damascus, 
Cambridge Botanic Garden, Boston. 
Vine .—Yery free and vigorous constitution, and 
very fruitful. Leaves roundish, not much cut, dying 
off purplish in autumn. 
Fruit.—Bunches very long, frequently 18 in. to 
20 in., or 24 in., with a long stalk, tapering very 
regularly from the shoulders downwards to the 
point; sometimes almost cylindrical in shape. Ber¬ 
ries medium-sized ovate, always well set. Skin thick, 
very dark purplish-black in colour, with a thick 
bloom. Flesh dark, juicy, and sweet, but generally 
with a slight astringency, which is not very much 
relished. 
History, Sfc .—A very old variety to be found in 
most old collections pf Grapes, although I haye 
never met with it in Continental collections. It is 
seldom planted now. 
Cultural Notes. —One of the freest-fruiting and 
most easily cultivated Grapes in existence, ripening, 
under the same treatment, a little in advance of Black 
Hamburgh, and always well coloured, even when 
not well ripened. It requires to be used soon after 
ripening, as when allowed to hang, the berries begin 
to shrivel. The late Mr. Hill, of Keele Hall gar¬ 
dens, was one of the most successful cultivators and 
exhibitors of this Grape. He had it grafted on 
Black Hamburgh. It is one of the best black 
Grapes for the open air. 
Season. —Early. 
Merits. —Extremely handsome in appearance, and 
valuable on this account, as well as for its free- 
fruiting properties, but in regard to flavour, far 
inferior to Black Hamburgh. It can only be classed 
ns a second-rate sort. 
Black St. Peter’s.— A synonym of Ali¬ 
cante : which see. 
Black Spanish. —A synonym of Alicante: 
which see. 
Black Tokay. —A synonym of Alicante : 
which see. 
Black Tripoli.-— A synonym of Black Ham¬ 
burgh : which see. 
Boston.— A synonym of Black Prince: 
which see. 
Bowood Muscat.— A synonym of Muscat of 
Alexandria: which see. 
— A. F. Barron. 
THE TULIP SEASON. 
SELECTIONS FOR PLANTING. 
f HE season of 1880, although the bloom 
was somewhat late, was, on the whole, 
a favourable one for the Tulip. The 
bulbs ripened well, and have lifted well, being 
unusually large, firm, and heavy: full of 
promise for next year’s bloom. Among the 
numerous exhibitions may be noted those of the 
principal midland counties—the Wakefield, the 
South-East Lancashire, the Northern Counties, 
and the Boyal National, the two last held in 
Manchester. Each of these exhibitions was 
above the average. The Northern Counties 
exhibition, held on June 4th, was perhaps the 
best of the year, for the quantity, the quality, 
and the variety of the blooms, and also for 
the number of new and rare kinds staged. 
The month of October being the time for 
arranging the boxes, i.e., beds for 1881, a word 
in season may be welcome to the intending 
exhibitor of next year, as to what varieties he 
ought to grow. 
Of the old, sterling, well-proved, rectified 
jj 2 
