January, 1908 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



33 



Life on Great Vineyards ■* 



YOU are 



seeking a 

 land present- 

 ing almost 

 every pos- 

 sible cli- 

 matic condi- 

 t i o n under 

 the sun, 

 from Alpine 

 glaciers to 

 palm forests, 

 go to California. Some time 

 ago the City Fathers of 

 Pasadena determined to give 

 a demonstration of the pe- 

 culiarities and possibilities of 

 the climate of Southern Cali- 

 fornia. They selected a day 

 in February, in the heart of 

 the Eastern winter, and in the 

 course of a nine hours' trip they 

 had passed through winter, sum- 

 mer, the semi-tropics and the 

 temperate zone. During the 

 winter of this region, from 

 November to May, when 

 almost fifteen inches of rain 

 falls, the country is a virtual 

 flower garden, luxuriant in green 

 and blossom, but for the vineyards. 

 These lie bare and brown, showing 

 long lines of black, unattractive 

 roots. In May, when the other 

 foliage begins to fade, the vines fill 

 up with verdure of their peculiar 

 vivid green, and soon put forth 

 great clusters of grapes. Though 

 not trellised or otherwise supported, 



A Mountain of Grape Skins and Stems. The Swiss Italian Colony, Asti, California 



Bunches of Mission Grapes at Pasadena, California 



the vines have received the most assiduous care during the unproductive 

 months and the vineyards are as clear of weeds as it is possible to make them. 

 There are now in California about 100,000 acres planted to grape, requiring 

 the employment annually of over 10,000 men. The yearly crop is about 

 250,000 tons of grapes, and from these are produced not far from 40,000,000 

 gallons of wine. The first grapes planted on the coast were from clippings 

 brought to America by Spanish priests, who established the "Mission" grape. 

 To perfect the vines of the coast Colonel Haraszthy, a well-known Californian, 

 went to France and Italy some years ago and brought back a large variety of 

 clippings, which were given to growers in all parts of the State, with splendid 

 results in arousing interest in and stimu lating the growth of the industry. 

 One of the most picturesque vineyards I have seen is on the island of Santa 



Cruz, about twenty miles out to sea from 

 Santa Barbara. No more beautiful drive- 

 way can be found in California than the one 

 from the landing at the island into the in- 

 terior. The road gradually rises, now skirt- 

 ing masses of brakes and ferns, now entering 

 the stream bed; wild flowers cling to banks 

 of moss, and above the deep blue sky is seen 

 like a mosaic of turquoise through the live 

 oaks. Suddenly the road opens out into a 

 little potrero or valley, and we are in the 

 vineyard of Santa Cruz, one of the most 

 romantic and isolated, doubtless, in the 

 world.- The mountains of the island from 

 a distance give no suggestion of the interior 

 depression, a miniature valley with steep 

 sides, which can be climbed, but which. 

 nevertheless, descend straight into the sea. 

 The hacienda, a typical French villa, is in 

 the center of a little town. Opposite is the 

 chapel, the winery with its foreign sun-dial, 

 and near by the quarters for the men. To 

 the south are great clumps of plume-like 



