agricultural productions. Upon this ground it might justly claim
exemption from taxation. The wine-growers of California allege that the
tax is oppressive and impolitic: oppressive, because it is equal to
one-fourth of the original value of the wine, and because no other
article of production or manufacture is taxed in anything like this
proportion; impolitic, because the business is now in its infancy,
struggling against enormous difficulties, among which may be mentioned
the high price of labor, rate of interest, and cost of packages, making
it difficult to compete with the wines of Europe, which have already
established themselves in the country, and which are produced where
interest is only three per cent. per annum, and the price of labor
one-quarter of what it is in California. In addition to this there is
the prejudice which exists against American wines, but which, happily,
is passing away. The vintners ask only to be put upon the same footing
as manufacturers, namely, an _ad valorem_ tax of three per cent.; and
they say that the Government will derive a greater revenue from such a
tax than from the one now in force, as they cannot pay the present tax,
and, unless it is abated, they will be obliged to abandon the business.
Efforts are being made to induce Congress to modify it, and it is to be
hoped they will be successful.

In 1861 California sent a commissioner to Europe, to procure the best
varieties of vines cultivated there, and also to report upon the
European culture generally. The gentleman selected for the mission was
Colonel Haraszthy, to whom I am indebted for many of my statistics, and
who has given us a very interesting book on the subject. He brought back
a hundred thousand vines, embracing about fourteen hundred varieties.
These were to have been planted and experimented upon under the auspices
of the State. What the result has been I am unable to say; but we are
informed upon good authority that over two hundred foreign varieties are