Tenth Annual Meeting 149 



vine with the large clusters, symbol of our state, at every 

 w^indow^. Let this be an incentive to renewed efforts in this 

 new venture of horticulture. 



We are, in the United States, behind our brethren in 

 South America in wine production. Their product in 1899 was 

 17s, 000, 000 gallons, and ours was only 35,000,000. But 

 California wines find their way to Europe, and the demand 

 increases. 



I will say a few words about the art of wine-drinking in 

 France and the Continent. Claret is generally taken diluted 

 with one-half water, which makes a healthful drink; at the end 

 of a meal some of it is taken pure. 



Never take claret in starting your repast without diluting 

 with water, and do not imitate a young man from New York, 

 who, on his return trip from Europe, sat next to me at table. 

 On the French line they have claret and Sauternes, of which 

 you help yourself at pleasure. He drank, to begin his dinner, 

 one or two full glasses of Sauternes, and a little later one glass 

 of claret. But soon after, I noticed his uneasiness, and finally 

 he had to leave the table, being taken sick. This illustrates the 

 abuse of wine. If this young man had diluted the wine, it 

 would have benefited him. We must learn yet how to drink 

 wines. 



There is a little story about Bacchus, who, when only a boy, 

 on a journey he made to Naxos in Greece, fell asleep. When 

 he awoke he remarked a peculiar plant which had grown by his 

 side. It pleased him so much that he took it up to bring it 

 home. On the way he observed that the plant was growing 

 rapidly, and to protect it against the sun's heat he inserted it in 

 the hollow of a bird's bone which he found on the road. The 

 plant, still outgrowing the temporal protection, he picked up a 

 lion's bone, into which he inserted the bird's bone; but the 

 plant still grew, and finally, to bring it safely to Naxos, he had 

 to resort to a still larger bone, and it was that of an ass. 



On reaching Naxos, the plant had grown so strongly that it 

 was impossible to extricate it from these bones, so he decided to 

 plant it as it was. In time it bore fruit, which, when pressed, 

 made such a divine beverage that when men drank of it they 

 sang like birds; if they drank more they grew strong as lions, 



