WINE-MAKING IN CALIFORNIA. 229 



wines, and indicating its best specialty as perhaps in the di- 

 rection of ports, sherries and other full-bodied types of wines. 



The soil is a red loam, from three to twelve feet in depth, 

 underlain by gravel, and it with cobbles, so that it may be 

 said to be exceptionally well drained, an important feature, 

 for the winter rainfall, doubtless owing to its proximity to the 

 Sierras, is very considerable, sometimes even excessive. 



The vineyard is drained by Alder Creek and Buffalo Creek, 

 two water courses which run across it from east to west and 

 carry its surplus waters into the American river, which has so 

 heavy a fall as to rapidly dispose of all floody waters. The 

 lands were heavily timbered with oak trees, many of them of 

 great size and very deeply rooted, requiring heavy expendi- 

 ture for clearance in preparation for vineyard planting. 



The first vineyard planting of the company was in the year 

 1876-7, when about no acres were put out seventy acres to 

 Muscat of Alexandria and forty acres to Flaming Tokay. The 

 "Muscat " was planted with reference to raisin making, and 

 was the earliest considerable planting of that variety for that 

 purpose in the State it may bs stated here that it proved 

 flourishing and bore vigorously, but nfter trying for three 

 years the experiment of raisin making, the company concluded 

 that there was too great liability to early fall rains to permit of 

 reliable field curing of raisins, so they abandoned it as a rai- 

 sin vineyard, and have since sold its product to the canners 

 and to the Eastern shippers, finding the latter always willing 

 to give a preference to the Natoma product because of size* 

 excellent flavor, and special ability to stand distant transpor- 

 tation. This initial plantation was followed in 1879-80 with 

 seventy acres more; viz., fourty-five acres Zinfandel and 

 twenty-five acres more of Flaming Tokay. 



In 1 880-8 1 were put out fifty acres more of which 

 thirty acres Tokay, ten Emperor, five Seedless Sultana, five 

 Black Ferrara. 



