STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 217 



producing to perfection the table grape, and the mineral soil of the hill 

 and mountain side, the wine grape. It is a well known fact that the 

 Eui'opean vineyards are fast decaying from old age and exhaustion of 

 soil, and, as a natural consequence, the heretofore fabulous amount of 

 grapes and wine produced in the old countries, must be transferred to 

 other sections of the world, and where else than California can the grape 

 be as well and as cheaply produced ? The iact is already acknowledged; 

 thei'cfore, it behooves Caliibrnians to take advantage of the circumstance. 

 It has been a question of much doubt with Avine manufacturers in this 

 State, whether good wine can be made from the grape raised on the 

 adobe soil. This question has been recently settled, as far as regards 

 one class of wine — port — which has been manufactured by West & 

 Brothers from the grape raised near this cit}' on the adobe soil, the wine 

 needing only age to render it equal to the best imported. 



MINERAL RESOURCES AND YIELD. 



Besides the inexhaustible gold mines, which embrace over fortj'-four 

 thousand square miles, minerals and metals of almost every kind have 

 been found. Silver, copper, platina, iron, quicksilver, antimonj^, tin, 

 arseaic, cobalt, manganese, lead, coal, ochres, saltpetre, in large quanti- 

 ties, lime, g_ypsum, freestone, marble, granite, borax, and brimstone, are 

 found in quantities to supply the world. Petroleum has recently been 

 discovered in several sections of the State, and bids fair to be of great 

 value, thus adding another item to our wealth and comraere. The his- 

 torj' of our gold mines is too well known to receive any more than a 

 passing notice here. These mines are daily extending in number and, 

 wealth. The two great gold belts lying on the western slope of the 

 Sierra Nevada Mountains, and exhausting hundreds of miles already 

 discovered, are yielding increased amounts for the benefit of the eastern 

 world, banks, Wall street Shylocks, and the sujiporters of the specific 

 conti-act law. Over one-billion dollars of gold have been exported since 

 eighteen hundred and forty-six. The historj' of our silver mines is 

 reeent. The silver belt is on the eastern side of the Sierras, and the 

 mines have been sufficiently tested to warrant the idea that it will 

 I'equire the toil and labor of thousands for generations to exhaust them. 

 Over eighteen million dollars of silver has been manifested from Washoe 

 since eighteen hundred and sixty, and an equal amount is supposed to 

 have been returned for improvements and opening the mines. Side by 

 side of the gold belts lie the richest and most extensive copper mines yet 

 discovered. Since eighteen hundred and sixty, the time copper was 

 discovered or attracted notice, one mine, the Union, located in Copper- 

 opolis, is now sending to the East three thousand tons per month, em- 

 ploj-s over one thousand two hundred animals to freight it to Stockton, 

 at a cost of about thirty thousand dollars per month for freight. This 

 mine, together with the Keystone, Calaveras, and Empire, in (Jopperop- 

 olis, and the Campo Seco and Copper Hill, in Campo Seco, can shij) next 

 season over twenty thousand tons per month. 



MANUFACTURES. 



This State, though in its infancy, can boast of many flourishing manu- 

 factories of different kinds, yet but few, if any, are producing a surplus 



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