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MIXED DRINKS.
those of the Mediterranean countries, and they are
being improved every year.
The vine was first introduced into California by
the Pranciscan fathers in 1769, and its cultivation has
proven very successful. Fru:t-growing and wine-
making are now among the leading industries of the
State. The Pacific coast seems to afford the finest soil
and climate for these industries anywhere in the States,
judging from practical results.
The variety of grape first planted in that region
was known as the "mission" grape, and is generally
supposed to have been imported from Mexico. Subse
quently the principal varieties of Prench, German and
Spanish vines have been tried and successfully culti
vated,and several descriptions of wine now made much
resemble the leading European types, though of a
slightly coarser style, a defect that is disappearing with
the grasp they are getting on technical knowledge.
Although California excels all other States in grape-
growing, producing nearly half the wines made in the
Union, yet the rate of increase has been greatest in
other States for several years. Along the borders of
the Ohio and Lake Erie the vine is extensively culti
vated. The champagnes and clarets made in the neigh
borhood of Sandusky and Cleveland, and the sparkling