502 Transactions of the 



WINE AND BRANDY STATISTICS. 



Mr. President and members of the Association: 



Your Committee on Statistics beg leave to submit the following report: 

 The making of a statistical report upon the grape growing interest of 

 the State, and the products of the vine, is attended with much difficulty, 

 and the figures given in most instances may be considered as only 

 approximates, arrived at, however, from the best and most authentic 

 data at hand. The cultivation of the grapevine and the manufacture of 

 wine and brandy in this State is an industry that we may truly say is 

 in its infancy, less than a one hundredth part of the cultivated land of 

 California being in vines. 



We find that in eighteen hundred and seventy-one there were about 

 thirty million vines of all ages in the State distributed throughout forty- 

 four counties. This is an increase of ten million since eighteen hundred 

 and sixty seven, or about Uvo million five hundred thousand per annum 

 for the last four years. 



The entire area in grapes is about fort}" thousand acres, while it is 

 estimated that there are at least twenty million acres well adapted to 

 the purpose — four times as much as the entire area in use for grape cul- 

 ture in France. A large portion of this land is almost worthless for any 

 other purpose, and can be had for one dollar and twenty five cents to 

 two dollars and lift}- cents per acre. In eighteen hundred and sixty- 

 eight there was produced one million eight hundred and eighty-four 

 thousand gallons of wine and two hundred and fifty-three thousand six 

 hundred and forty-three gallons of brandy ; in eighteen hundred and 

 sixtj'-nine, two million six hundred and thirty-six thousand gallons 

 of wine, one hundred and sixty-nine thousand eight hundred and eleven 

 gallons of brandy ; in eighteen hundred and seventy, three million eight 

 hundred thousand gallons of wine, one hundred and fifty-seven thousand 

 and fifty gallons of brandy ; in eighteen hundred and seventy-one (esti- 

 mated), six million gallons of wine, two hundred thousand gallons of 

 brandy. The value of the crop of eighteen hundred and seventy one to 

 the producers may be stated as follows : 



0,000.000 gallons wine at 30 cents $1,8<IO,000 



200,000 gallons brandy at 31 50 , 300,000 



Total 82,100,000 



To this may be added at least six hundred thousand dollars received 

 for table grapes, consumed in California, and shipped to Nevada and the 

 Eastern States and Territories. The average price obtained for these 

 products (wine and brandy), when sent out of the State, is nearly thrice 

 that sum. In some sections, where there are quite a large number of 

 vinej'ards. transportation is so difficult and expensive that at least one 

 half of the grapes are wasted, add the remainder are mostly used for 

 home consumption, and are, therefore, almost unproductive of profit to 

 the producer. 



Then at least one half of the vines in the State are too young to be 

 productive, or too far from a commercial market for the product to be 



