I02 Gra^e Culture and Wine Making in California. 



facturers of wine or brandy being the purchasers ; and even at this price, 

 grapes are the most profitable crop raised in this state. Third, it does 

 not require thirty thousand dollars, or even three thousand dollars cap- 

 ital, to manufacture wine. Any producer can make wine on a small 

 scale, if he so desires ; no expensive machinery is necessary to make 

 wine, nor is a large or expensive wine cellar necessary. For that 

 matter, there is no necessity for any wine cellar in this climate. Of 

 course, all large manufacturers have equally large wine cellars or wine 

 warehouses. 



It must be remembered, that in this equable climate it is yet a grave 

 question whether a cellar, so called, is of any advantage to the wine. 

 Again, it is safe to say that three fourths of all the vines in this state 

 are owned and cultivated by men of small means, and whose vineyards 

 vary in size from five to fifty acres. A fifty-acre vineyard is, however, 

 a large vineyard here or in any country. It requires no peculiar knowl- 

 edge to cultivate the grape here. Any good farmer can make a good 

 vineyardist : nor are grapes difficult to raise in the country — they will 

 grow anywhere. On an average, the grape vines in this state do not 

 receive as much attention, save in pruning season, as does your corn in 

 the New England or Middle States, and the profit, even to sell the 

 grapes at one cent per pound, is six times greater. I might add, that 

 any New England farmer, if he will bring with him habits of industry, 

 can in five years make as good a vineyardist as we have. In the 

 immediate vicinity of my own vineyard, which is near Napa, nearly 

 every farmer cultivates a vineyard. Of course some do so with greater 

 success than others, but all have fair success ; though I confess the 

 experience of some is limited. In conclusion, permit me to add, — 



1. The best vine lands are the cheapest lands in the state, because 

 they are too stony or hilly for small grains. 



2. No stakes or trellises are used here ; the vines are planted by 

 inserting cuttings in rows, six and seven feet apart, and are then 

 cultivated as corn is cultivated, and no more. 



3. The older the vines the more valuable they become, and the culti- 

 vation of the vine pays, whether limited to one acre, or extended to one 

 hundred acres. 



February 8, 1871. 



