STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. U7 



they come from that district, and are used to make that celebrated 

 wine. The two varieties of grapes are so much alike in wood, foliage, 

 and fruit that I for a long time believed them to be one variety, 

 until some years ago, the bees taught me the difference between them, 

 for they would make their attack on one vine and another vine by its 

 side they would not touch. I then found, by tasting, one much 

 sweeter tiian the other. The grayjes of either are small, very black, 

 small bunches; the leaf but little lobed or serrated, and round, much 

 like some of our wild grapes grown in this neighborhood. It has a 

 great many bunches and is a heavy bearer. Gen. Naglee assured me 

 that the year I was there they had averaged thirty-three pounds to 

 the vine, and it is from this grape that he makes his best brandy. 

 He also told me it made a very superior black (he named it) wine. I 

 have not tried it sufficiently liere to speak with certainty about the 

 quality of the wine, but I know it is a heavy bearer and believe it will 

 make the best heavy red wine (Burgundy) in the State. As yet it is 

 not generally introduced in this State, it being confined to San Jose 

 and Santa Clara County, but such wine as has reached the San Fran- 

 cisco market has been pronounced the best red wine in the State. 

 I have not had it long enough, or in sufficient quantity to make wine 

 from it, except in an experimental way. I believe in it. It is a fair 

 eating grape. 



I could add Muscat of Alexandria, which, I am inclined to think, 

 will make a very popular brandy, and West St. Peter's, which is said 

 to be the best sherry grape as yet tried in California. However, this 

 paper is already much longer than I intended, and I will close for 

 the present. 



L. J. ROSE. 



