STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 175 



free from all malaria or sickness of any kind — where man can enjoy 

 every day in the year in outdoor occujxition — with almost perpetual 

 sunshine, with cool and refresliing nights, and with nature's gifts of 

 beauty on every hand; a country bounded by the Pacific Ocean, with 

 its cooling breeze by day, and on the other side by a range of snow- 

 capped mountains and their refreshing breeze at night; with pure air, 

 pure mountain water, and conditions of climate, where to exercise is 

 a pleasure. Is it strange, in view of all this perfection, that man, sur- 

 rounded by these favored conditions, sliould be the superior in either 

 physical and mental development to his favored brother in other 

 lands? 



I envy the youth of California their future. They will enjoy and 

 make the changes which I see will come, and come rapidly. This 

 beautiful California, with its varied climate, with its tropical and its 

 temperate zone, with their wide range of productions being of equal 

 excellence, and tlie e::itremes are sometimes scarcely more than an 

 hour's ride apart. Take this place — Sacramento — with its tropical 

 atmosphere, with its tropical growth of flowers and trees which always 

 fill me with admiration — note that peculiar, still, warm twilight, 

 where the sunshine, after the sun has set, still lingers in the air. 

 What a contrast to San Francisco, or any of the coast counties, where 

 an overcoat is a necessary adjunct to one's wardrobe at all seasons of 

 the year, and instead of the lazy qi*iet languor of your feeling, all is 

 activity and rush, with nerves astrung for action and work, and the 

 mind hred with energy and ambition. Yet each excels in some pro- 

 ductions. The one is the home of the peach, the melon, the corn, 

 and such crops as require heat; the other excels in the production of 

 cherries, currants, potatoes, cabbage, and like products not requiring 

 such an ardent sun. 



Coming events, it is said, cast their shadows before. Already we 

 can see here and there what almost every part of California will be. 

 We have only to look at Riverside, Pasadena, Anaheim, San Gabriel, 

 Alhambra, Fresno, and other bright spots, teaching us the possibili- 

 ties of our country. It is but a few years since these beautiful tracts 

 were the grazing grounds of cattle, covered with cactus and chaparral, 

 with nothing to point them out as being better than the surrounding 

 country; now they are like oases in the landscape, veritable Edens, 

 containing a happy population who produce beautiful fruits and 

 make wines to gladden the hearts of less favored countries. 



To sing preans to our country, which we all love, is a very pleasant 

 task. But I have been asked to address you, for the reason that I may 

 have some information on practi.cal subjects, which may have some 

 value to some of you. 



For many years I have been engaged in the growing of the grape, 

 and in the manufacture of wine. Some facts that I have learned and 

 opinions I have formed out of this long experience, may be of value 

 and benefit to beginners. The question of where to plant, will always 

 be of great importance; and each man's experience becomes impor- 

 tant, for experience is the only sure guide. There are now vineyards 

 in every part of the State — enough at least to show that every por- 

 tion can raise grapes fair to look upon and in abundance, and, to some 

 extent, their product can be seen and compared. We have vineyards 

 on the mountain slopes and in the valleys, and each locality claims 

 some superiority. There is a general belief, however, that hillsides 



