n Madera, Fresno, Kings,
Tulare and San Diego counties. The product is more than sufficient for
the markets of the United States. Dry wine grapes do best in the
counties around San Francisco Bay, on unirrigated lands; while sweet
wine stocks do best in Yolo, San Joaquin and the counties of the raisin
grape, and on irrigated lands. In 1900 California produced about
three-fifths in value ($3,937,871) and in 1905 the same proportion
($6,688,620) of the wine output of the United States. The value of
product more than sextupled from 1880 to 1900. In quantity the product
was more than four times the combined product of all other states. The
better California wines are largely sold under French labels. Brandies
are an important product. They are made chiefly from grapes, and are
used to fortify wines. It was officially estimated that in the spring of
1904 there were some 227,000 acres of vineyards in the state, of which
exactly five-tenths were in wine grapes and four-tenths in raisin
grapes.

_Gold._--Between the pastoral period and the era of wheat was the golden
epoch of Californian history. The existence of gold had long been
suspected, and possibly known, in California before 1848, and there had
been desultory washings in parts where there was very little to reward
prospectors. The first perfectly authenticated discovery was made near
Los Angeles in 1842. The discovery of real historical importance was
made in January 1848 (the 24th is the correct date) at John A. Sutter's
mill, on the south fork of the American river near Coloma, by a workman,
James W. Marshall (1810-1885). His monument now marks the spot. From
1848 to the 1st of January 1903, according to the state mining bureau,
California produced $1,379,275,408 in gold. There were two periods of
intense excitement. The first ended in 1854, at which time there was a
decided reaction throughout the United States in regard to mining
matters. The Californian discoveries had given rise to a general search
for metalliferous deposits in the Atlantic states, and this bad been
followed by wild speculations. At the time of their greatest
productiveness, from 1850 to 1853, the highest yield of the washings was
probably not less than $65,000,000 a year; according to the state mining
bureau the average production from 1851-1854 was $73,570,087
($81,294,270 in 1852, the banner year), and from 1850-1861 $55,882,861,
never falling below $50,000,000. The estimates of other competent