146 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Gentlemen, I have detained you too long ; but if you will 

 allow me, I will read to you a few statistics compiled from 

 authentic sources in Europe, and published by Colonel Har- 

 aszthy, a gentleman, whom the State of California sent out to 

 Europe, to obtain from there all kinds of vines which he supposed 

 could be grown in California, with a view to making the grape 

 a staple in that State. You will sec from these figures what an 

 immense interest it is to be developed, and although the price — 

 twenty-five cents a gallon — seems to be an insignificant price, 

 yet the cultivation of the grape, in all those countries where it 

 is possible, is found to be so much more profitable than grain or 

 any other crop, that every rod of ground, every rocky corner, 

 though they have to break it up with pick and spade, is planted 

 with grapes. 



Here is a copy from the records of the Agricultural Society 

 in Wirtemberg. These records, dating from the year 1246, are, 

 from that time up to 1420, very meagre and much interrupted ; 

 but from 1420 up to 1852 quite correct and complete. During 

 those 430 years, there were, as to the quality of the wine, — 



Those eminently distinguished, only 

 Very good years for a good wine, . 

 Pretty good ones for a good wine, . 

 Middling quality wines, 

 Inferior quality wines, .... 



Total, ...... 



Concerning the productiveness, there have been — 



11 



28 

 118 



76 

 199 



432 



Years of ample yield, ....... 114 



of middling yield, ...... 18 



of poorer yield, ....... 99 



of failure, or yields not paying expenses, . . 201 



Total, ......... 432 



The aggregate number of acres under wine cultivation in 

 Europe is 12,285,780. 



The total aggregate yield per year in Europe is 3,107,039,000 

 gallons. 



