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tiJtnc.
ASIA
is
undoubtedly
the
country
where
the
vine
has
grown
without
the
helping
hand
of
man, and
very
prob-
ably
the
slopes
south
of
the
Caucasus,
where
still
now-
adays,
as
in
the
Kolchian
forest,
the
vine
grows
in
abundance
and
richness.
Elphinstone
born
1778,
died
1859
on
his
journey
to
Cabul,
saw
in
the
Caucasian
forests
the
vine
growing
wild,
and
describes
how
fascinating
to
the
eye
the
en-
tanglement
and
coverings
of
whole
forests
by
the
vine
appeared.
Modern
travelers
report
of
bunches
of
grapes
of
seventeen
pounds
in
Palestine,
and
of a
vine-
tree
on
the
southern
slope
of
the
Lebanon
Mountains,
the
diameter
of
which
was
one
foot
and
a
half;
it
was
thirty
feet
high,
and
formed,
by
its
twigs
and
boughs,
a
canopy
of
two
hundred
feet
in
circumference.
In
the
vicinity
of
Naples
you
may
see
vines,
the
stems
of
which
are
only
a
little
thinner
than
the
trees
to
which
they
cling.
As
to
the
size
of
grapes,
they
are
naturally
larger
under
the
glowing
sun
of
the
south.
Already
in
Italy
we
see
exceedingly
large
bunches;
still
larger
they
are
found
in
Greece
and
Asia
Minor.
Near
Shi-
raz,
in
Persia,
their
length
amounts
to
a
yard.
Baron
De
Huegel
found
them
of
colossal
size
in
Cashmere.