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