is reputed to be an useful vegetable in the feeding of cattle; though Mr. SWAYNE remarks, that they seldom eat it, if there be a variety of other grasses in the same field; and, as it produces few seeds, which are mostly devoured by insects, it does not appear to merit attention. Nevertheless, BECHSTEIN observes, that the Yellow Vetchling, both in a fresh and dry state, affords excellent food for cattle in general, and therefore deserves to be cultivated in meadows. 4. The latifolius, BROAD-LEAVED VETCHLING, or EVERLASTING PEA, is frequent in woods and hedges; flowering in the months of July and August. It is often raised in gardens chiefly for the beauty of its variegated flowers; but Dr. ANDERSON believes it may be useful to the farmer; and, as it attains the height of 10 or 12 feet, having very strong stalks, he supposes that it would afford a large crop of hay. ounce. Why, therefore, should it not be used for bread? VETCH, the CORN, WILD, or HAIRY TARE, TINE-TARE, OF ROUGH-PODDED TARE, Ervum hirsutum, L. an indigenous plant, growing in sandy corn-fields, hedges, and meadows, where it flowers in the month of June. This vegetable is eaten by horses, cows, goats, and sheep; but it ought to be carefully eradicated; as, during wet seasons, whole crops of corn have been overpowered, and their growth completely stifled by this pernicious weed. VINE, the COMMON, or Vitis vinifera, L. a native of Japan, and the warmer regions of Asia: it has for centuries been raised in Britain; though its culture is most successful in the temperate climates, or between the 30th and 50th degree of northern latitude. There are numerous varieties of this valuable shrub, which are cultivated for the delicious grapes There is an exotic species of the they afford. Without entering inChickling, namely, the tuberosus, to an account of their respective which the Germans term Earth- periods of maturation, we shall nut, or Sow-bread; growing in simply state the names of the most stony and mountainous fields.... remarkable sorts: point out such this plant is a valuable addition as are peculiarly serviceable; and to meadows; not only on account conclude with an account of their of its odoriferous flowers, which culture. blow from May to July, and are eagerly frequented by bees; but also for its black tuberous roots, which are in Holland eaten as fruit, and boiled for culinary use; having the sweet and agreeable taste of nuts. These roots contain a larger proportion of mealy particles than potatoes: and BERGIUS extracted from one pound of Earthnuts, three ounces of a beautiful starch: whereas the same quantity of the former yielded only one 1. The July grape, or Morillon Noir Hatif....2. The Royal Muscadine....3. The Malmsey Muscadine....4. The Black Muscadine.... 5. The White Muscat of Alexandria....6. The Red Muscat of Alexandria....7. The White Muscat of Lunel....8. The Black Muscadel.... 9. The Red Muscadel.....10. The Black Damascus....11. The Black Tripoli... 12. The Black Spanish, or Alicant.... 13. The Black Lisbon.... 14. The Black Frontiniac, or Mus are recommended by horticulturists, as being eminently adapted to small gardens....It is a remarkable historical fact, that, a few cen turies since, the extensive Vale of Gloucester was industriously planted with this delightful shrub ; from the grapes of which, England was then chiefly supplied with excellent native wines. cat Noir...15. The Red Frontiniac, duces fine clusters of oval, black or Muscat Rouge....16. The White berries, that possess a sweet, viFrontiniac, or Muscat Blanc.... nous flavour.... All these varieties 17. The Grizzly Frontiniac.... 18. The Red Hamburgh.....19. The White Hamburgh...20. The White Morillon....21. The Early White Grape or Teneriffe....22. The Ciotat, or White Parsley-leaved Grape .....23. The White Corinth.....24. The Aleppo Grape....25. The Red Grape of Syracuse...26. The Caur, or Morocco Grape...27. The Black Raisin....28. The White Raisin.... 29. The Malvoise, or Blue Tokay....30. The Genuine, or White Tokay.....31. The Lombardy..... 32. The Smyrna...33. The Brick... 34. The Claret....35. The Syrian Grape....36. The Auverna, or Genuine Burgundy....37. The Cat's Grape....38. The Greek Grape.... 39. The Black Corinth....40. The Cornichon...41. The Red Chaselas. ...42. The Black Prince...43. The Black Burgundy....And, 44. The White Early Leipzig.....See also vol. iv. p. 194. To these may be added, the White, or Common Muscadine, having fine, round amber-coloured berries, and a rich vinous flavour. The White Sweet-water, which bears large white fruit, and abounds with an agreeable juice......The Small Black Cluster, produces oval berries, which have a pleasant saccharine taste.....The Large Black Cluster presents more bulky grapes than the preceding variety; but which, on account of their rough, harsh taste, are not edible in a fresh state, and therefore chiefly converted into Port-wine...The Miller Grape, or New Muscat of Jerusalem, yields large round, red fruit; which, in prosperous seasons, attains nearly the size of goose-berries....The Black Hamburgh pro The vine is generally propagated from seed, cuttings, or layers; though it is sometimes raised by ENGRAFTING, OF INOCULATION..... In the first case, the seed should be set toward the end of Februa ry, or early in March, in pots containing light rich mould; and be plunged in hot-beds of a moderate heat. During warm weather, they ought to be gently watered in the afternoon, when the frames should be carefully closed. About the end of August, the young plants are to be gradually exposed to the air, so that they may become hardened before the approach of winter; but in the latter season, they must be sheltered by frames, covered with mats. After having attained the height of about six inches, it will be proper to,remove them into larger pots, filled with similar soil; to immerse them again in the hot-bed; and to tie them to slender sticks, or rods, in order to prevent them from trailing. Towards the end of the succeeding March, or in the begin ning of April, they may be planted against the wall, at which they are intended to remain. In this situation, Mr. FORSYTH directs then! to be cut at the third eye, if they be vigorous; but, in the contrary case, at the second: the lower bud, however, must be rubbed off, as soon as it appears. If vines are designed to be raised from cuttings, these ought to be selected from strong and full grown shoots, which should be cut perfectly smooth, immediately beneath the part where they were produced, and have one or two joints of the last year's wood. The cuttings must be planted against walls, at the distance of one foot from each other, and at such depth, that the second eye may be level with the ground; but the lower eye ought to be rubbed off, on its first appearance; because, if that operation be delayed, the upper eye will be injured in removing the former. Runners and lateral shoots should likewise be cut off, excepting two which are to be trained against the wall. Vines may also be propagated by layers. For this purpose, let the most vigorous shoots be laid in pots filled with fresh mould, and placed about two inches beneath the surface of the ground; the incision being made in the old wood below a joint, so as to leave one or two eyes on each. When the shoots or layers have taken root, they must be separated from the parent stock; manured with rotten dung or leaves; and watered twice a week during dry summers: all lateral excrescences should also be picked off, and the layers treated in the same manner as the cuttings. During the first year, vines will not advance rapidly; but, in the second, the strongest may be easily distinguished, and these may be suffered to stand, while the weaker ones must be transplanted to other situations. The quality and size of grapes depend greatly on the strength of the plant on which they grow..... Mr. FORSYTH, therefore, recommends the vines to be cut down to two or three eyes, in the first year, if there be a superfluity of naked wood. In the following year, a considerable increase of fine wood will be obtained, when all runners, &c. must be picked off; and the main shoots be nailed to the wall, progressively as they increase in length. During fine weather, it will be advisable to examine them every second or third week, and speedily to remove every lateral shoot. No farther attention will be required, excepting that all weeds must be carefully eradicated; for otherwise the growth of the vines would be impeded. In the month of February, in the second year, the pruning should be repeated; and three buds be left to each of the strongest main shoots; but in those of a weaker growth, two eyes only must be permitted to remain. Mr. F. observes, that his composition ought to be applied as early as possible, after each pruning; for the vine, being very porous, speedily imbibes moisture, and thus quickly decays: should it accidentally have been cut at a late season, it will be necessary to sprinkle the powder of the preparation before quoted over the wound, till the bleeding or flow of the sap be completely checked. Numerous insects prey upon the vine; which, unless timely destroyed, will totally kill the plant: as we have already stated the best methods of exterminating them, in the articles HOT-HOUSE, INSECTS, RED SPIDER, PINE APPLE, &c. we shall here only remark, that their depredations may, in a great measure, be prevented by watering the vines, three times in the week; a simple expedient by which the luxuriance of this shrub, as well as the swelling of its fruit, will be greatly promoted. When the clusters are very large, and the grapes begin to ripen, it will be useful to cover them with nets; or with buntine, a stuff that serves for the flags of ships; and which will not exclude the sun and air from the fruit, while the latter is protected from the ravages of birds. The leaves, however, should only be plucked off in small portions, as often as the grapes are gathered; by which method these will continue in succession for a much longer period than could be effected, by hastily removing all the foliage from their branches. Those readers, who are desirous to obtain farther information, relative to the raising of grapes, will consult Mr. SPEECHLEY'S "Treatise on the Culture of the Vine," 4to.; and Mr. FORSYTH'S Treatise on the Culture and Management of Fruit-trees," &c. in which the subject is amply discussed. Vines are chiefly valued on account of their delicious GRAPES; but they may be made subservient to many other useful purposes: thus, the young twigs, when dried, cut into small pieces, and moistened with water, afford a wholesome food for cattle, and particularly for horses. Dr. DARWIN conjectures, that the leaves of the variety, which produces purple grapes, would impart a colour, and astringency of taste, to British wines, similar to those derived from the skin of the same grape, in foreign vinous liquors... The wood of vines reduced to charcoal, affords (according to JACOBI, a reputable German wri ter) an excellent blue colour for painting and drawing. He ployed equal quantities of fixed vegetable alkali, and vine-coal: after melting the former in a crucible, he gradually introduced the latter; both were allowed to act on each other, till the ebulition ceased; when the compound was poured out, dissolved in rain-water, and precipitated with spirit of vitriol: in consequence of which the ley, and especially the sediment a ssumed a deep blue cast. After edulcorating this powder, by repeated washings in fresh water, and then calcining it, he obtained a very bright and pleasing blue pigment, which acquired a dark blackish hue, on dissolving it in oil of vitriol; though its lustre and shade, were instantly re-produced, on diluting the solution with pure wa ter.... Lastly, we learn from BIN DER, another German author, that the purified stones or seeds of grapes, when moderately roasted, and ground in a coffee-mill,ser ve asa good substitute for chocolate; which, on the proper addition of sugar, cinnamon, and a little VANILLA, is very grateful to the palate, and cannot be readily distinguished from the genuine sort pre-pared of cacao. [The article VINE is preserved entire; as some useful hints may be derived from it, though the directions refer chiefly to the cultivation of the vines in a hothouse.....We shall now describe, 1. The species and varieties of North America. 2. The most approved culture of vines in the United States. 3. The art of making wine. Description of the species and varieties of Vines in North America. The following very interesting paper on the vines of the United States, was drawn up last spring, by Mr. WM. BARTRAM, at the request of the Editor. The insertion of it in the present work, is necessary to enable the reader to speak with certainty as to the species which may be cultivated, or met with, and thus prevent that confusion which the want of a true classification of our vines has hitherto produced. nent are hermaphroditous and Pentandrian. I know not, from my own observation, whether the bullgrape of Carolina is hermaphroditous or dioecious, and therefore rest satisfied with WALTER's assertion. "With regard to the vine of America, I find a great difficulty in discriminating the species from varieties or hybrids, which, perhaps, may be partly accounted for from some of our vines being dioecious, and there being a much greater number of male vines than of fruit-bearing ones, whose farina fecundans, mixing with the air and winds, is carried to a great distance to the female organs of hermaphrodite flowers. I shall now give my opinion of the distinct species or established races from which all the varieties or mules have originated. 1st. The COMMON BLUE GRAPE, or BUNCH GRAPE, Vitis sylvestris, or V. occidentalis. This is the most common grape. The acini or berries are of the oblate figure, of various sizes on different plants, and of as various tastes. "The most obvious characters which distinguish the grape-vines of America from those of the old continent, are, 1. The berries of all the American species and varieties that I have seen, approach the figure of an oblate spheroid; that is, the poles are flattened, and the transverse diameter is longer than the polar: however, I have observed that Alexander's grape, and some of the bul or bullet grapes, approach nearer to an oval or elipsis, which is the figure of all foreign or European grapes that I have seen; viz. a prolate spheroid....2. Most of the American species and varieties have a glaucous and yellowish pubescence on the under surface of their leaves....Some are sweet and pleasant ....3. All that I have observed in the northern and eastern districts of the United States are polygamous; i. e. those vines which bear fruit (female) have hermaphrodite flowers (pentandria monogynia); but the males have only five stamina, without any female organ, and are always barren. One should suppose, from WALTER SO strongly marking this character as to induce him to place Vitis in the class Dioccia, when LINNEUS and the other European botanists had placed it in Pentandria (he himself being an European), that all the grape-vines of the old conti VOL. V. enough, having a musky flavour. They are nearly as large as the Burgundy grape; are black when ripe, having a glaucous bloom, like the damascene plum. The leaves of this species are large; their under surfaces covered with a clay-coloured down or pubescence. They are tri-lobed, each lobe subdivided or dentated. Some varieties have very deep sinuosities, almost touching the mid-rib. "2d. Fox-GRAPE, Vitis vulpina of Bartram, V. foliis cordatis subtrilobis, dentatis; subtus tomentosis, Linn. Spec. plant. V. vulpina dicta Virginiana alba; Pluckn. alm. 392. PP |