AGRICULTURE. 197 
1. Californian vineyards produce ordinarily twice as much as 
the vineyards of any other grape district, if general report be 
true. Here, twelve thousand pounds of grapes per acre is a crop 
as common as six thousand in France, Germany, or Ohio. Why 
our vineyards should produce so much more than those else- 
where I know not, but the fact is indubitable. Crops of twenty 
thousand pounds per acre have been seen here, but never else- 
where, if witnesses, generally considered credible, are to be 
believed. 
2. The grape-crop never fails, as it does in every other coun- 
try. This is owing partly to the fact that we have no severe 
frosts, no hail, and no storms of rain and electricity from the 
time the vine buds until the grape is gathered, each of which 
often causes a total loss of the crops in Europe. There is abun- 
dant time for gathering the grape, while in other vine coun- 
tries the rain and frost destroy the fruit after it is ripe. The 
oidium—the disease which has done such great damage in 
France—appeared in 1859, but has done no injury as yet save 
in a few small, young vineyards. I have heard of it only in 
Santa Clara, Sonoma, and Alameda counties, where the vines 
are planted in a wet, black loam, or stiff clay. Bugs and in- 
sects, which do much harm in European vineyards, have as 
yet done no injury worthy of note.in California. 
8. Vineyards in other countries require more labor than in 
California. In Europe, the vine is trained with a stalk four 
feet high, and supported by a pole, which has to be set down 
every year, and to which the vine is tied. Here the stalk 
stands alone. 
4. The equability and warmth of the climate render it easy 
to make wine by fermentation without artificial heat during 
the winter; whereas in other grape countries fires must be 
kept up in the cellars through the winter. 
5. The great variety of grapes which thrive here as com- 
pared with every other grape country. 
The disadvantages of California consist in the high price of 
labor (three times as high as in Ohio, and four times as high 
