302 AMERICAN GRAPE GROWING 



are sold to the dealers in the city when they are from 

 three to six months old. The average price paid for 

 young wines from the cellar has been from twenty-two 

 to thirty cents the gallon for round lots, including all in 

 the cellar, varying somewhat with the quality and the 

 proportion of wines of the choicest varieties. Perhaps 

 twenty-five cents would be a fair average estimate for 

 cellars containing one half of Mission and Malvasia. 

 The dealers mature and blend the wines to suit their 

 trade, and sell them, when matured, to their customers 

 throughout the State and further East. The consump- 

 tion of our wines here, especially the better claret, among 

 those who formerly consumed imported wines altogether, 

 is increasing very fast, as they become aware that they 

 can obtain a better wine at less price at home than they 

 receive from abroad; and it would increase still faster if 

 the nefarious practice of selling honest and good Cali- 

 fornia wines under foreign labels was less general. But 

 the old saying, " far fetched and dear bought," is as 

 true with many of our would-be aristocracy as it is any- 

 where ; they will readily pay treble the price for an article, 

 however inferior it may be, if it is only shipped thou- 

 sands of miles, and carries a foreign label. A great many 

 unscrupuloiis dealers take advantage of this tendency, 

 and use French or Ehenish labels for California wines, 

 thus obtaining higher prices than they would get for 

 them under their true character, and robbing our home 

 product of its proper appreciation. 



THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY IN CALIFORNIA. 



Although speculations on the future are generally idle 

 and premature, still the question, will "grape-growing 

 pay in the future?" is ever-recurring, and I can 

 only give surmises. I have a deep and abiding faith in 

 the ultimate success of the industry, for the follovring 

 reasons : 



