_Location and Acreage._--The district is situated north of San Francisco Bay, bordering on it as well as on the Sacramento river, and is a part of the Sacramento valley. The number of acres overreaches seven thousand, and is increasing yearly. The principal vineyards are those of the late G. G. Briggs at Davisville, Solano county, with three hundred acres, and at Woodland in Yolo county, four hundred and sixty acres; E. Gould, also at Davisville, two hundred acres; H. M. Larou, at same place, about fifty acres; sundry vineyards around Davisville, fifty acres; around Woodland and Capay valley, some four hundred acres;--or in full bearing more than two thousand acres. The district comprises the southern part of Yolo and the northern part of Solano counties. The grape used for raisins is principally the Muscat of Alexandria, except the vineyard of R. B. Blowers, which is composed exclusively of Gordo Blanco. The Muscat of Alexandria is generally preferred, as it makes a fine raisin and bears well. _Soil and Climate._--The soil varies somewhat; the best is a deep gray, alluvial bottom-land soil; other soils are not much thought of for Muscatel raisin grapes. The average depth of water is about eighteen feet from the surface. It is not necessary, as a rule, to first level the land, as the ground is very level naturally. The rainfall averages thirteen inches. The most rain falls in January and February; the least falls in August. There is seldom a shower in the summer, but about November 1st rains are almost always certain to interfere with the drying of the grapes. Sometimes the rain comes in October, when it causes considerable damage to the grapes and partially dried raisins. There is very little dew in summer time, but plenty in October and also some in September. The temperature is considerably modified by the nearness of the bay. It reaches in the hottest part of the summer one hundred and fourteen degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, but only for a day or two. The average highest is about ninety degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, while the heat almost every day in July and August shows eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. Thus this district is considerably cooler than the San Joaquin valley and San Bernardino county, but warmer than Los Angeles and San Diego districts. There are heavy frosts in winter, when at times even the thermometer falls to eighteen degrees Fahrenheit, although this is the extreme low temperature, six or seven degrees of frost being more common. There is spring frost in April one year in every three or four, and the vineyards are then smoked to prevent injury to the vines. Irrigation is not needed to produce crops, only to produce larger crops, as it increases the yield fifty per cent. Generally two irrigations a year are needed, the first one in early summer, the other later, when the berries have begun to ripen. Water from ditches is used and carried to the vines in furrows only, no flooding being practiced.