WINE-MAKING IN CALIFORNIA. 131 



seen fine vineyards and excellent wines from tenacious clay or 

 adobe soils. Still such soils are very difficult to work, as they 

 bake and roll when wet, and get very hard when dry. If the 

 soil is free from stones, so much the better, for stones make 

 it disagreeable to work, although stony soil, if otherwise rich, 

 will make fine wines. But avoid hardpan and alkaline soils, 

 as they are not suited to the vines, will produce but little, 

 and that little of inferior quality. It should not be too 

 steep, as that makes cultivation difficult and costly. 



With these general hints, I will shortly sum up the re- 

 quirements of as nearly perfect a vineyard as I can imagine. 



1 . Easy access to market by railroad or water, and from 

 vineyard to cellar. 



2. Gently sloping lands, not too steep nor too flat. 



3. Abundance of water. 



4. Good location for cellar and packing sheds, and, if 

 possible, good building stone. 



5. Freedom from frosts. 



6. Deep and friable soil, which, for red wines especially, 

 should be rich in iron and other minerals, to give color and 

 tannin. 



CHAPTER X. 



PREPARING THE SOIL. 



This is very important, especially 'in tenacious soils, clay 

 and adobe, which should be deeply stirred, to enable the 

 roots to penetrate it. Where the soil is naturally loose, it is 



