228 GRAPE CULTURE AND 



through the vineyards, affording three switches for shipping 

 purposes, the central one of which is a regular station with 

 depot, post orifice and express office. It is called " Natoma " 

 and here are situated the company's business offices, so that 

 no part of the vineyard is over one mile distant from a rail- 

 road, which affords connection with the entire railroad sys- 

 tem of the State, also with the transcontinental railroad sys- 

 tems. The vineyard proper forms the southerly portion of 

 the " Rancho Rio de los Americanos " an original Mexican 

 grant of about 9,000 acres, duly patented by the United 

 States Government, which the Natoma Company purchased 

 not many years ago and still owns almost in its entirety. It 

 lies on the east bank of the American River for a distance of 

 seven miles and includes within its borders the town of Fol- 

 som, for many years of the first importance as a placer min- 

 ing centre. 



The vineyard plantation nowhere comes down to the 

 border of the American River, but is confined to the benches 

 or slopes that run back, and merge into, the rolling foot-hills. 

 Its elevation ranges variously throughout its extent from 150 

 to 300 feet above the sea level, and it is distant from the 

 Pacific Ocean about 125 miles in a direct line (westward) 

 shut off therefrom by the Coast Range chain of mountains, 

 which average from 4,000 to 6,000 feet of elevation ; while 

 from the Sierra Nevada range of mountains, which dominate 

 all California, and here have an elevation of 8,000 to 12,000 

 feet, it is distant about 40 miles. Thus the climate is essen- 

 tially an inland one, sheltered from all sea winds and fogs, 

 scarcely ever exposing the vineyard to frost damages, but 

 visiting it, in the vintage season, with extreme heat (some- 

 times as high as 105 F in the shade) which powerfully stimu- 

 lates the growth of the vines and the development of sachar- 

 ine matter in the grapes, thus making the excess of sugar in. 

 the grapes a thing to be guarded against in the making of dry 



