Page:History of the German people at the close of the Middle Ages vol1.djvu/343

AGRICULTURAL LIFE 331 of the day's work each woodcutter could take home a bundle of brushwood, and in winter he carried a load. Each year the ditches through the woods and along the roads were repaired for the preservation of the neigh- bouring property. The vineyards extended over seventy acres, and the manner in which, according to the report, the vines were tended showed marked skill and enterprise. The day-labourers for this work were hired according to contract, just as in the haymaking and harvest seasons. Before the time of vintage the cellarer had to see that the casks, tubs, buckets, troughs, dippers, and measures were in order. The grape gatherers, carriers, and treaders were closely watched by the forester and clerk : ' they must gather, carry, and press industriously.' After the vintage the cellarer delivered to the head-steward the quantity gathered, sold the husks by the tub, carefully watched the fer- mentation, racked off the wine, sold the dregs to the distillers, and separated the muddy wine, which was used in the cooking of fish or to make vinegar. In good years the wine over and above that which was carried to the manor was sold by retail to the citizens. These sales were often occasions of great excitement. The buyers, all impatient to be served at once, grew very noisy ; the attendants were enjoined to prevent any cheating and to preserve order. The cellarer paid particular attention to the wine which was intended for domestic use, racking it off at the proper time and pouring it into hogsheads. Each time a stoop of wine was drawn or a hogshead emptied he cut a notch in his stick. At the close of the year the quantity of wine in stock was compared