. They are
often cut whilst still tender, dried and used as forage being known as
oat hay (67,742,000 bundles of about 5-1/2 lb each were produced in
1904). The principal vegetables cultivated are potatoes, onions, mangold
and beet, beans and peas. Farms in tillage are comparatively small,
whilst those devoted to the rearing of sheep are very large, ranging
from 3000 acres to 15,000 acres and more. For the most part the graziers
own the farms they occupy.

The rearing of sheep and other live-stock is one of the chief
occupations followed. At the census of 1904 over 8,465,000 woolled and
3,353,000 other sheep were enumerated. There were 2,775,000 angora and
4,386,000 other goats, some 2,000,000 cattle, 250,000 horses and 100,000
asses. These figures showed in most cases a large decrease compared with
those obtained in 1891, the cause being largely the ravages of
rinderpest. Lucerne and clover are extensively grown for fodder. Ostrich
farms are maintained in the Karroo and in other parts of the country,
young birds having been first enclosed in 1857. A farm of 6000 acres
supports about 300 ostriches. The number of domesticated ostriches in
1904 was 357,000, showing an increase of over 200,000 since 1891. There
are large mule-breeding establishments on the veld.

Viticulture plays an important part in the life of the colony. It is
doubtful whether or not a species of vine is indigenous to the Cape. The
first Dutch settlers planted small vineyards, while the cuttings of
French vines introduced by the Huguenots about 1688 have given rise to
an extensive culture in the south-western districts of the colony. The
grapes are among the finest in the world, whilst the fruit is produced
in almost unrivalled abundance. It is computed that over 600 gallons of
wine are produced from 1000 vines. The vines number about 80,000,000,
and the annual output of wine is about 6,000,000 gallons, besides
1,500,000 gallons of brandy. The Cape wines are chiefly those known as
Hermitage, Muscadel, Pontac, Stein and Hanepoot. The high reputation
which they had in the first half of the 19th century was afterwards lost
to a large extent. Owing to greater care on the part of growers, and the
introduction of French-American resistant stocks to replace vines
attacked by the phylloxera, the wines in the early years of the 20th
century again acquired a limited sale in England. By far the greater
part of the vintage has been, however, always consumed in th