acres are planted in vines, producing seven
hundred and fifty millions of gallons, while Hungary has three millions
of acres, yielding three hundred and sixty millions of gallons. If it is
asked, Supposing California capable of producing the amount claimed for
her, what could be done with this enormous quantity of wine? the answer
may be found in the experience of France, where, notwithstanding the
immense native production, there is a large importation from foreign
countries, besides a very considerable consumption of purely artificial
wines.

Small quantities of wine have been made in California for over half a
century, by the Spanish residents, not, however, as a commercial
commodity, but for home-consumption, and there are wines now in the
cellars of some of the wealthy Spanish families which money could not
purchase. But it remained for American enterprise, aided by European
experience, to develop the wonderful capacity which had so long
slumbered in the bosom of this most favored land.

The following statistics exhibit the total number of vines in 1862, and
the great increase in the last five or six years will show the opinion
entertained as to the success of the business.

"The number of grape-vines set out in vineyards in the State, according
to the Report of the County Assessors, as compiled in the
Surveyor-General's Report for 1862, is 10,592,688, of which number Los
Angeles has 2,570,000, and Sonoma 1,701,661.

"The rate of increase in the number and size of vineyards is large. All
the vines of the State did not number 1,000,000 seven years ago. Los
Angeles, which had three times as many vines surviving from the time of
the Mexican domain as all the other counties together, had 592,000
bearing vines and 134,000 young vines in 1856. The annual increase in
the State has been about 1,500,000 since then; and though less
hereafter, it will still be large.

"The wine made in 1861 is reported, very incorrectly, by the County
Assessors, as amounting to 343,000 gallons. The amount made in 1862 was
about 700,000 gallons. The total amount made in all other States of the
Union in 1859, according to the United States census, was 1,350,000
gallons; and the same authority puts down California's wine-yield for
that year at 494,000 gallons, which is very nearly correct. In Los
Angeles County most of the vineyards have 1,000 vines to the acre. In
Sonoma the number varies from 680 to 1,000. The average number may be
esti