442 pliny's natural history. [Book XVII. 



critical four days for the olive, being the period at which the 

 south wind, as we have already 18 stated, brings on its dark and 

 lowering clouds. The cereals, too, ripen more unfavourably 

 when south winds prevail, though at the same time it pro- 

 ceeds with greater rapidity. All cold, too, is injurious to ve- 

 getation, which comes with the northern winds, or out of the 

 proper season. It is most advantageous to all plants for 

 north-east winds 19 to prevail throughout the winter. 



In this season, too, showers are very necessary, and the rea- 

 son is self-evident — the trees, being exhausted by the fruit 

 they have borne, and weakened by the loss of their leaves, are, 

 of course, famished and hungry ; and it is the showers that 

 constitute their aliment. Experience has led us to believe 

 that there is nothing more detrimental than a warm winter ; 

 for it allows the trees, the moment chey have parted with 

 their fruits, to conceive again, or, in other words, to germinate, 

 and then exhaust themselves by blossoming afresh. And 

 what is even worse than this, should there be several years of 

 such weather in succession, even the trees themselves will die ; 

 for there can be little doubt that the effort must of necessity 

 be injurious, when they put forth their strength, and are at 

 the same time deprived of their natural sustenance. The poet 20 

 then, who has said that serene winters are to be desired, cer- 

 tainly did not express those wishes in favour of the trees. 

 And no more does rain, if prevalent at the summer-solstice, 

 conduce to the benefit 21 of the vine : while, at the same time, 

 to say that a dusty winter produces a luxuriant harvest, is cer- 

 tainly the mistake of a too fertile imagination. It is a thing 

 greatly to be wished, too, both in behalf of the trees as well as 

 the cereals, that the snows should lie for a considerable time 

 upon the ground ; the reason being that they check the escape 

 of the spirit of the earth by evaporation, and tend to throw it 



18 See B. xvi. c. 46. 



19 From Theophrastus, De Causis, B. ii. C. 1. 



20 He alludes to the words of Virgil, Gecrg. i. 100 : — 



"Humida solstitia, atque hiemes orate serenas, 

 Agricol®; hiberno laetissima pulvere farra." 

 Fee remarks, that the cultivators of the modern times are more of the 

 opinion of the poet than the naturalist. 



21 Because rains would cause the young fruit to fall off. He here 

 attacks the first portion of the precepts of Virgil ; but only, it appears, in 

 reference to the vine 



