372 Appendices 



average, year in and year out, not less than $13 an 

 acre, — a fair return from land that may be bought from 

 $25 to $45 per acre. And it must be remembered that 

 a vineyard is a permanent investment, and exacts less 

 care and attention than a prune orchard or an orange 

 grove. It is absolutely necessary to make no mistakes 

 at first, either in the choice of your land, the buying of 

 your cuttings, and the cultivation of the vineyard during 

 the first five years. 



I cannot do better than conclude these few remarks on 

 wine and wine grapes with a clipping from an article 

 which appeared some few months ago in the San Fran- 

 cisco " Chronicle : " — 



" Calif ornian wine can compete with its European rivals, 

 and, as to quality and price, to the great advantage of this 

 State. The only drawback is the roundabout means of trans- 

 portation. Californian wines have to be sent from here to 

 New York, thence to England, and from there to the South 

 American countries, because there is no direct line running 

 either from this port or from the East. But it looks as if this 

 hiatus would soon be a thing of the past. Several projects 

 are maturing which promise the establishment of lines of 

 Steamers from New Orleans and New York to those South 

 American republics which can be counted upon to consume 

 a large proportion of the wine produced in California. The 

 completion of the Nicaragua canal would also give us the 

 required outlet, and of itself would go far toward solving 

 the problem that has so long troubled those in the wine 

 trade of securing markets for the wines grown in this State. ^ 

 Meanwhile domestic consumption is increasing, slowly, it is 

 true, but yet it is growing, until now 20,000,000 gallons of 

 our dry wines are drank in the United States, and a trade is 

 springing up with England, Belgium, Switzerland, and Ger- 

 many which promises to attain considerable proportions. 



1 The Panama Canal is now in the possession of New York 

 capitalists. 



