The Superintendent in the report of the Botanical and Afforestation Department of Hong Kong, 1885, states that this 'new tuberous rooted vine from Cochin China, fruited this year in Hong Kong for the first time. The seeds were procured from the Botanic Gardens, Saigon, in 1883. The seedlings were planted out the same summer and made several shoots, each of which died down in the winter. They began to make fresh shoots about the middle of April, 1884, and grew well during the summer, but showed no inclination to flower; and again died down in the winter. Last summer they started vigorously, and showed flower about the end of May. Many of the bunches, however, failed to develop fruit, owing apparently to imperfect fertilization, but there was a good average crop of bunches on the canes irrespective of the failures. The fruit was ripe in October, many of the bunches weighing one pound each. The berries, when ripe, are jet black, and rather under the average size of ordinary grapes. The seeds are large in proportion to the size of the berry. The flavor is a peculiar blending of sweetness and acidity, very pleasant, but tending, in my case, to leave a curious smarting sensation on the tongue; others might not find this peculiarity at all objectionable.

The flavor might be altered, as is well known, by varying the mode of cultivation, but the size of the seeds is likely to prevent the grape becoming popular as a table fruit; it may, however, be very well adapted for a wine producer.'"