State Agricultural Society. 77 



mountains is much finer grained and better flavored than that grown in 

 the valleys, and, it' possible, the orchards are more prolific. These facts 

 must prove of great value to California as a fruit growing State, and 

 those orehardists who first take advantage of them in a practical way 

 will be doubly rewarded for their enterprise. 



Though our Fair comes at a time when all the earlier varieties of 

 fruit are gone, and though the display is but meagre compared to what 

 our fruit growers might and ought to have made it, yet we may -without 

 fear challenge any other country in the world to excel or equal it. A 

 careful examination of the exhibition of fruit before us will fully prove 

 the strict correctness of the statement we have made in regard to the 

 climatic and other advantages possessed by California as a fruit growing 

 country. Our wine product this year will probably exceed twenty 

 million gallons. Our vinej'ards are steadily growing in numbers and 

 capacit3 r , and with the age of the vine the wines are steadily improving 

 in quality. Those varieties of table grapes that will bear transporta- 

 tion are selling for home consumption and shipment East at highly 

 remunerative prices, and California as a wine growing country is stead- 

 ily making a good reputation for herself. 



The greatest drawback to her complete success in this industry is the 

 want of uniformity and system in the selection and assortment of the 

 grapes and in the treatment of the wines. Thus, instead of producing 

 a few choice and standard varieties of wines — such as would always be 

 in demand at the highest rates the world over, we have been and are 

 still pursuing the suicidal course of placing upon the markets wines of 

 as many different shades of taste as there are different vineyards in the 

 State. 



Again, our wine dealers, in order to produce some degree of uni- 

 formity out of this great variety of wines, have taken up the practice of 

 mixing and doctoring them so as to give the mixture some of the charac- 

 teristics of the better brands, for which they pass them off. This is all 

 wrong, and a great detriment to the character of the California wines 

 generally, and especially so to the wines of the best makers. It is of 

 the highest importance to our State, and to the wine makers themselves, 

 that these evils should be corrected. 



This object could be accomplished if capitalists and enterprising men 

 would establish wine cellars in the different wine growing districts, and 

 buying up the grapes from the producer, and assorting them with refer- 

 ence to their peculiar wine qualities, would submit them to such uniform 

 treatment as science and good judgment might dictate. Capital could 

 not find a better investment nor enterprise a more certain reward than 

 is here ottered. In the absence of such facilities the producers them- 

 selves would find it greatly to their advantage to associate together and 

 manufacture all the wines of large districts at one common cellar and 

 under one common management. We commend this subject to the 

 serious consideration of our wine makers, and to men of capital and 

 enterprise. 



The magnificent exhibition of fruits, grapes, and wines from our moun- 

 tain counties, the old mining districts, is worthy of more than a passing 

 remark, and it warrants a more particular notice of some of the advan- 

 tages of those districts. 



Some of the best and most extensive and productive vineyards and 

 orchards in the State are to be found in those localities. Without desir- 

 ing to make any unpleasant distinctions, but only with a view of illus- 

 tration, we would mention those of Nickerson, of Placer, Marshall, of 



