WINE-MAKING IN CALIFORNIA. 367 



social chat, and throw away business cares, it would be a rest 

 and recreation to them, instead of a mere process to keep 

 body and soul together, as it is now. I am glad to see that 

 some of our restaurants and hotels have already commenced 

 this; and that a fair bottle or half bottle of wine can be had 

 with their meals. But we also want houses which keep the best 

 of California's products, at a good price if you please; so that 

 every true Californian can invite a friend from abroad, whom 

 he may have with him, to a glass of wine which is a true 

 representative of our industry, and to which he can point with 

 pride as the product of our State; a State of which we have 

 such just reason to be proud, as the noblest and the brightest, 

 the State where milk and honey flow, an4 where every one 

 can sit " under his own vine and fig tree." 



There are two crying evils in this State yet, however, 

 which ought to be abolished as soon as possible; and such 

 wine houses as before mentioned would do a great deal, and 

 prove the initiatory steps to their eradication. One is the 

 senseless and altogether unjustifiable practice in our saloon, to 

 keep about the poorest and lowest priced wine they can ob- 

 tain, a wine that costs them not more than 35 cents per gal- 

 lon, and sell it to their customers at 10 cents per glass, taking 

 good care to furnish the smallest glasses they can get besides,, 

 so that what costs them 35 cents, is retailed to their customers 

 at $6.00 per gallon. These exorbitant rates deter nearly 

 every one from drinking wine, a bottle is broken into, stands 

 tor a day opened, and if the wine had any quality before, it is 

 apt to loose it entirely, before another is willing to pay ten 

 cents for such stuff. This brings our wine into bad repute,, 

 and works directly against its consumption and use. 



The other is the prevailing custom of " treating." Four or 

 five men are called to the bar by a friend to " take a drink,"' 

 for which he pays. The others feel under a sort of moral 

 obligation to do likewise; and so five or six drinks are swal- 



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