would be equally beneficial. .to the boor and the Hottentot,
and prevent the many horrid murders that (fifgrace humanity.
The next ftep to improvement would be to oblige all the
Dutch landholders to encloje their efiates, agreeably to the ori- .
ginal plans which are depofitech in 'the Secretary’s Office. By
planting hedge rows and'trees, the grounds would not’ only'be
better ffieltered, but the additional .quantity of moifture that
would he attraded from the air, would prevent the furfaceirpm
being fo much fcorehed in' the 'fummer'mpntbs.’ 'Hie almond,
as I have obferved, pows^api^iy in the.‘tfrieft and pporeff folia*
and fo does the' pbmgranatq,both of which would .ferve for"
> bedScs- The lcmon.tree, planted 'thick, makes a. profitable as
well as an extremely beautiful and excellent''hedge,-but it requires
to be planted on ground that is rather moift. The keur-
boom or fopbora capehfts grows in hard dry foils, as will alfo two
or three of the larger kind of proteas.
The vineyards, inftead of being pruned down to the ground,
fo that the bunches of grapes frequently reft upon it, Ihould be
led up props or efpaliers, or trailed, as in Madeira, along the
furface of lattice work. The ftrong Spanilh'reed that grows
abundantly in the colony is well fulted for this purpofe, which
would not only free the grapes from the peculiar earthy tafte
that is always communicated to the wine, but would caufe the
fame extent of vineyard to produce more than double the quan-
tity of grapes. A family or two from the illand of Madeira, to
inftru<ft them in the procefs of making wine, would be of effen-
tial ufe to the colony.
A better
A better lyftem of tillage of the corn lands could not fail to
be produdive of a confiderable increafe in the returns of grain.
The breed of horfes has fo much improved fince the capture by
the Englilh, that thefe may foon be fubftituted for oxen in all
the purpofes of hufbandry, and fmall Englilh ploughs made to
fuperfede their prefent unwieldy machines.
With refped to the country boors, it will require a long time'
before any effedual fteps can be adopted for the improvement
of their condition. One of the moft eligible plans, perhaps,
would be the eftablifhment of fairs or markets at Algoa Bay,
Plettenberg’s Bay, Moffel Bay, and Saldanha Bay; to which,
at certain fixed periods, once a month or quarter for inftanee,
they might drive down their cattle, and bring their other articles
of produce for fale.
This might immediately be effeded by prohibiting the bpt-
chers from fending round their fervants to colled cattle at the
boors’ houfes ; and by giving public notice of the times at which
the markets would be held at the different places. At Algoa,
Bay a great variety of produce, befides Iheep and horned cattle,
might be exhibited together; not only from the boors, but alfo
from the Kaffers and the Hottentots. Thefe people would, na
doubt, be very glad to give their ivory and ikins of leopards
and antelopes in exchange for iron, beads, and tobacco, and
perhaps coarfe cloths, provided they were allowed to take the
advantage of a fair and open market. The honey that abounds
in all the forefts would be collected by the Hottentots and
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