272 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  28,  1859. 
NOTES  ON  GRAPES. 
So  many  excellent  and  instructive  notes  on  this  ever  popular  fruit 
have  appeared  in  the  Journal  of  late  that  I  should  like  to  notice  one 
or  two  points  brought  out,  and  sorry  I  have  not  been  able  to  do  so 
sooner  as  I  intended.  The  late  great  Grape  ccmpetitior.  at  Shrews¬ 
bury  has  no  doubt  given  an  impetus  to  Grape  growing  and  Grape 
showing  on  both  sides  of  the  border.  It  has  also  prompted  many 
sensible  remarks,  and  some  “gie  queer  anes.”  Let  us  hope  ti  e 
interest  will  be  kept  up  and  be  of  lasting  benefit  to  all. 
On  page  139  of  the  Journal  of  17th  August,  “A.  D.,”  under  tire 
heading  of  “  Popular  Grapes,”  has  some  very  sensible  remarks  on 
what  he  aptly  terms  the  “fugitive  popularity”  of  new  and  certificattd 
varieties.  I  am  at  one  with  him  in  thinking  that  a  radical  change  is 
needed  in  making  this  award  to  new  Grapes. 
Too  much,  if  not  all  the  stress,  has  evidently  in  the  past  been  put 
on  the  appearance  and  flavour  of  samples  submitted,  while  the 
Pig.  53— Geape  Geos  Maeoc  (part  of  a  buxch). 
qualities  of  free  growth,  easy  ripened  wood,  fruitfulness,  and  free  setting, 
without  which  no  Grape  can  ever  hope  to  become  a  popu'ar  standard 
variety,  appear  to  have  been  entirely  overlooked.  In  almost  every  case  of 
a  new  Grape  which  has  pr  ctically  dropj  ed  out  of  cultivation  its  decline 
can  be  traced  to  constitutional  defects  in  its  growth  or  fruit,  not  but 
that  its  flavour  and  appearance — when  seen  at  its  best — is  as  good 
to-day  as  when  it  received  its  fust-class  certificate  fur  these  qualities 
alone.  Societies  would  do  well  to  pause  when  the  ]  arentage  of  a  new 
Grape  is  of  a  doubtful  character. 
In  reference  to  this  subject  the  thanks  of  the  gardening  com¬ 
munity  are  due  to  Mr.  Molyneux  for  the  light  he  throws  on  the 
subject  of  standard  anu  popular  <xhibition  varieties  by  his  full  and 
interesting  audit  of  all  the  Grapes  staged  at  the  r  cent  Shrewsbury 
Show,  which  appeared  in  the  Journal  of  Septuriber  14th,  p-ge  224. 
In  this  audit  I  notice  he  classes  Gros  Maroc  a  id  Cooper’s  Black  as 
distinct  varieties.  They  were  certainly  shown  as  such,  though  I  did 
not  notice  a  single  bunch  the  least  like  the  Cooper’s  Black  with  which 
I  am  acquainted.  It  is  a  common  practice  of  exhibitors  to  show  Gros 
Maroc,  if  a  little  undersized  in  berry,  as  Cooper’s.  If  we  take  the 
eight  bunches  of  Cooper’s  in  the  audit  as  Gros  Maroc,  this  puts  this 
variety  next  to  the  Black  Hamburgh  in  popularity  for  blacks,  and 
certainly  was  the  most  popular  variety  in  the  champion  class,  being 
represented  in  each  of  the  six  stands.  At  the  late  Edinburgh  Show  this- 
variety  was  next  to  Muscat  of  Alexandria  in  the  number  of  times 
shown,  and  easily  first  among  blacks.  What  a  unique  position  it 
holds  amongst  Grapes — so  easily  grown,  so  handsome  in  appearance, 
and  yet  one  of  the  worst  flavoured  sorts  in  cultivation.  Did  it  ever 
receive  a  first  class  certificate,  Mr.  Editor  ? 
Another  point  Mr.  Molyneux  mentioned  was  the  showing  of 
Bowood  Muscat  and  Muscat  of  Alexandria  in  the  big  class.  Lke 
him  I,  too,  was  under  the  impression  for  some  time  that  both  could 
not  be  shown  together.  This  may  have  been  the  intention  of  the 
framers  of  the  schedule,  but  the  wording  makes  both  admissible.  It 
would  be  well  if  this  were  made  more  explicit  in  future,  also  that  nice 
point  whether  two  single  boards  placed  together  was  equivalent  to 
“  each  variety  to  be  shown  on  a  single  board.”  Canon  Hall  Muscat* 
as  represented  at  Shrewsbury,  was  a  puzzler  to  me ;  I  could  see  about 
as  much  difference  between  this  variety,  Bowood  Muscat,  and  Muscat 
of  Alexandria  as  I  saw  between  the  Gros  Maroc  and  Cooper’s  Black 
shown.  The  two  latter  could  in  many  cases  have  been  cut  from  the 
same  Vine.  The  Canon  Halls  I  considered  rather  indifferent  samples 
of  this  noble-looking  Grape,  loose  straggly  bunches,  with  berries  not 
much  more  than  half  the  normal  size.  Canon  Hall  is  most  certainly 
a  distinct  variety,  though,  as  seen  at  Shrewsbury  this  year,  it  ought 
to  be  classed,  “  for  the  purposes  of  their  big  priz»,”  with  Bowocd 
Muscat,  Muscat  of  Alexandria,  and  the  others  mentioned  in  the- 
schedule,  and  only  one  to  be  admissible. 
I  cannot  leave  the  champion  Grape  class  without  a  word  of  praise 
to  the  individual — whoever  he  was— that  first  thought  of  the  decorative 
element  in  connection  with  this  competition.  How  well  they  went 
together,  and  what  a  striking  and  pleasing  exhibit  they  made  !  The 
three  gentlemen  who  adjudicated  deserve  the  highest  praise  for  their 
painstaking  labours.  I  never  knew  such  an  important  class  to  be 
judged,  and  not  a  single  grumble  to  be  heard  afterwards.  The  arrange¬ 
ments  were  most  complete  to  the  smallest  detail,  each  bunch  being 
judged  on  its  merits,  and  the  number  of  points  awarded  to  each  dis¬ 
played  to  the  public  was  not  only  fair  and  right,  but  highly  instructive. 
It  was  well  worth  the  Judges’  while  to  strip  to  the  shirt — as  they  did — 
and  with  the  aid  of  two  lawyers  pioceed  to  business,  when  the  lesult 
was  so  satisfactory.  As  an  instance  of  the  accuracy  of  point  judging* 
I  may  mention  that  the  writer,  when  seeing  the  first  prize  collection 
on  the  Vines  at  Keir  a  fortnight  before  the  Show,  pointed  them  over 
be'ore  two  gentleman  This  was  put  aside  till  alter  the  judgment* 
when  both  we  e  found  exactly  the  same — 96  each. 
We  in  Scotland  ought  to  be  truly  thankful  for  this  big  competi¬ 
tion.  It  has  opened  our  eyes  to  the  inestimable  blessing  of  a  cool- 
moist  climate.  We  now  know  that  to  have  well  finished  Muscats  by 
the  end  of  August  you  must  possess  the  cool  climate  of  a  Scotland. 
The  everlasting  Scotch  mist,  hitherto  cursed  by  tourist  and  native, 
has  been  a  blessing  in  disguise.  Was  it  not  this  moisture-laden 
atmosphere  which  kept  Mr.  Kirk’s  Madresfield  Courts  dead  ripe  for 
six  weeks  before  the  Show  without  a  split  berry  ?  Your  “  endosmose 'r 
theory,  Mr.  Editor,  is  gone  for  ever.*  As  for  poor  Mr.  Lunt,  his 
nationality  is  past  finding  out,  and  will  never  be  known.  He  is 
dragged  across  the  Solway  by  one  party,  and  made  to  swear  on  oath 
that  he  is  a  Scotchman;  by  another  parly  he  is  diagged  back  again, 
and  made  to  swear  that  his  father  and  mother  were  Englishmen — 
I  mean  his  father  only,  as  his  mother  is  a  good  English  woman. 
Such  is  fame. 
Ever  since  the  “great  combat”  the  cry  has  come  from  many 
quarters  that  it  is  the  superiority  of  climate  which  makes  the 
Scotsman  so  successful  with  Grapes.  I  saw  in  a  contemporary  the 
other  day  the  Grape-growing  district  of  the  United  Kingdom  defined 
as  beginning  at  Lambton  Castle  in  co.  Durham  and  ending  at  Castle 
Huntley  in  Forfarshire,  having  its  principal  and  most  important 
centre  around  Stirling.  All  such  talk  is  downright  immense.  With 
your  leave,  Mr.  Editor,  I  mean  to  devote  a  whole  chapter  to  this 
subject  at  an  early  date.  Meantime,  let  me  express  the  hope  that  this 
Grape-growing  rivalry  between  North  and  South  may  be  continued  in 
the  happy  friendly  spirit  in  which  it  has  begun. 
At  one  of  the  “.B.  B.”  socials,  during  the  Edinburgh  Show  the 
other  week,  the  “battle  of  Shrewsbury1’  was  being  fought  over 
again,  one  of  the  speakers  made  a  suggestion  which  I  think  is  worth 
making  public.  It  was  to  get  up  a  sort  of  “  America  Cup  ”  for  Grapes, 
to  be  competed  for  year  about  at  Edinburgh  and  Shrewsbury,  the 
societies  to  hold  the  cup  and  provide  liberal  money  prizes  to  go  along 
with  it;  the  money  to  provide  the  cup  to  be  contributed  equally  by 
both  societies.  I  think  there  would  be  no  difficulty,  even  if  it  were 
left  to  private  subscription,  to  get  up,  say,  £100,  and  I  am  certain  if 
*  We  did  not  know  it  was  our  theorv;  we  can  claim  no  such  honour;  but- it 
is  true  all  the  same,  and  will  endure  as  long  as  the  Madresfield  Court  Grape.., 
