THE WINE-MAKKKS' CORPORATION. 519 



sent great outlays in preparation, and great profits, and are 

 for the rich. The lighter soils and mountain slopes of Cali- 

 fornia already produce, under the, improved treatment of later 

 years, an abundance of sound, wholesome, and palatable 

 light wines, thoroughly fit for any company and any table, 

 but it is evident from what has been said of the care required, 

 and the labor and capital essential to the making of good 

 wine, that in a new country with scant capital, dear labor and 

 abounding inexperience, there would also be great quantities 

 of very poor wine. 



In practice, the best California wines have been largely 

 sold under foreign labels, thus depriving California of the 

 credit of its best wines, while compelling it to bear the stigma 

 of the poor. The motive for this is obvious; a bottle of wine, 

 which as domestic, could be sold at a good profit for fifty cents, 

 with no extra expense except the affixing of a new label, may 

 bring, as imported, a dollar and a half, and the customer be 

 just as well pleased and as well served. Labels of all known 

 brands, with imitations of special corks, bottles, or other pecul- 

 iarities, are kept constantly in stock in all. cities, at trifling 

 cost, to be used for this purpose. 



The result, therefore, of inadequate capital, and insufficient 

 knowledge on the part of the wine-growers, combined with the 

 bad reputation resulting from selling all the poor wines under 

 their true name, and most of the best wines under foreign 

 names, was the gradual impoverishment of the growers, who, 

 unable to treat their wines properly, or carry tliem to matu- 

 rity, were compelled to sell as fast as made, to the wine mer- 

 chants, for any price they could get. For years this went on 

 from bad to worse, until in 1893 and 1894, tlie bulk of the 

 light wines was purchased at from six to eight cents per gallon, 

 at which rate an annual deficit could be expected with cer- 

 tainty by all growers. A majority of the wine merchants 

 organized a corporation known as the California Wine Associa- 

 tion, thus practically eliminating tlie competition of buyers, 

 and leaving all but tlie strongest growers helpless, and these 

 with no hope of profit. 



Under these circumstances, the wine-growers, like otliers 



