584 Journal op the Department of Agriculture. 



A man stood in the middle of this " floor " or " trap vloer " and kept 

 the animals on the go by flicking a long whip. When the animals 

 were tired the grain was collected by throwing up the trampled 

 mass to the wind when the chaff was blown away and the seed fell 

 on the floor. 



Wine-making. 



In 1G54 the vine was introduced into the colony from the Ehine 

 provinces and within the next few years further consignments were 

 received from there and France. Commander Simon van der Stel 

 obtained different varieties of cuttings from France, Germany, and 

 Spain, and a few years after Stellenbosch district had been con- 

 stituted the vine was growing luxuriantly. In 1059 the first wine 

 was made in South Africa from the muscadel by Commander Jan 

 van Riebeek, who appears to have been the only person possessing the 

 Imowledge to do so. The early efforts to induce the farmers to send 

 their wine to Batavia were unsuccessful, as they wanted a local 

 market and were unable to wait a whole year for payment of their 

 goods. About 1718 the authorities of the Company in Holland 

 thought that if the flavour of the Cape wine could be improved a 

 nuirket might be found in Europe and in India. Tliey were then 

 paying the farmer £6 per Jcgger (leaguer) for ordinary wine for the 

 use of their ships, and £8 for old wine for use in the hospital. The 

 Constantia wine had already gained a reputation in Europe. In 

 1789 the colonists were given permission to export wine to Holland, 

 provided it went in the Company's ships, and a freight of £1. 13s. 4d. 

 — afterwards raised to £2. 3s. 4d. (per legger) — was paid. Towards 

 the close of the eighteenth century the wine farmers of Stellenbosch, 

 Drakenstein, French Hoek, and Wagenmaker's Yallei (now 

 Wellington) lived in large substantially built houses, which had the 

 aspect of ease and comfort as far as their inteiior fittings and furni- 

 ture were concerned. The work of delving and cleaning the vine- 

 yard, pruning the vines, gathering the grapes, and pressing and 

 storing them was undertaken by slaves under tlie supervision of 

 Europeans. 



One of the principal pursuits of the farming community was 

 that of 



Cattle Rearing. 



In the first days of the settlement the cattle were obtained from the 

 natives and trading parties were sent out by the Government for 

 that purpose. The farmers, however, were strictly prohibited from 

 bartering with the Hottentots. In 1700 this prohi]>ition was with- 

 drawn for a few years only as far as cattle trade was concerned, 

 when severe penalties were again imposed to prevent the bartering of 

 cattle. One of the first cattle sicknesses which appeared at the Cape 

 was in 1659, when horned cattle and sheep died in great numbers. 

 It is not known what the nature of the disease was, but the Govern- 

 ment attributed t'he illness to the action of the Almighty, and believed 

 that it was sent as a punishment for sins. It was resolved to hold a 

 prayer meeting at 4 p.m. every Wednesday to pray that the Lord 

 might withdraw his anger from the people, and assist them against 

 their enemies. Again in 1714 an unknown cattle disease made' its 

 appearance and in 1723 tongue and hoof sickness broke out. Meat 

 became scarce and a law was published which prohibited the sale of 



