Grapes a fruit of enrgy

The grape is native to wooded & warm regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It has been transplanted to similar regions in the Southern Hemisphere as well. Grapes are grown in large quantities in France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, & Georgia. Other prominent grape-producing countries are Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Chile, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Romania, & the United States. The grape is a fruit that can be eaten as table fruit, dried to produce raisins, or crushed to make grape juice or wine. It has been grown for thous&s of years. There are more than 8,000 different types of grapes.Grape cultivation, or the growing of grapes, is known as viticulture. The grape is adapted to a variety of soil types, ranging from s&y to clay.The most common method of reproduction is to plant cuttings taken from fully grown vines. These stem cuttings are usually nurtured in nurseries for about a year to grow roots. Another well-known reproductive method is layering. In this method, a branch of a mature vine is bent down & made to grow in shallow soil. At first, the shoots start growing upwards. Eventually the roots develop. The plant is then cut from the parent branch & planted separately as a new vine.Pruning (trimming) is important for the proper growth of the vine. At the yearly pruning, 90 to 95 percent of growth is removed.The grape plant is a woody vine that climbs by means of tendrils, or modified branches. The vine, when left untrimmed, often reaches a length of 56 feet (17 meters) or more. It grows almost into a shrub in dry regions. The large, rounded leaves have tooth-shaped edges. The flowers are small & green & appear in clusters.The fruit is a berry that is shaped like a bulb. The seeds lie inside the juicy pulp. Some grape varieties develop a white powder coating. Grapes have colors ranging from pale green or yellow to red, purple, or black depending on the variety. Some varieties are multicolored.Grapes are full of minerals such as calcium & phosphorus. They are also a good source of vitamin A & contain sugar.Fossilized leaves, seeds, & stems of grapes have been found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Some of them are believed to be 40 million years old. Viticulture is nearly as old as civilization. Information on grape cultivation & wine production has been revealed in the Egyptian drawings dating from 2400 BC. Grape seeds have been found along with mummies in Egyptian tombs that are at least 3,000 years old. From Egypt & Greece the grape was eventually spread to most parts of the world. The grape most commonly used in wine making was introduced into the United States when Spanish missionaries brought it to California in about 1780.About a thous& varieties of grapes have been developed in the United States, & new ones are being added. The chief varieties are the fox grape, summer grape, winter grape, & muscadine grape. One of the best-known varieties is the concord grape, which is used in the production of jelly, jam, & juice.