Chap. 55.] HOW MUCH GRAIN REQUISITE FOE A JUGERUM. 71 



one, nor should the produce of an early soil be sown in a late 

 one. Those who give advice to the contrary have quite mis- 

 applied their pains. 



CHAP. 55. WHAT QUANTITY OF EACH KIND OF GRAIN IS REQUISITE 



FOR SOWING A JUGERUM. 



^In a soil of middling quality, the proper proportion of seed 

 is five modii of wheat or winter. wheat to the jugerum, ten of 

 spelt or of seed- wheat that being the name which we have 

 mentioned 94 as being given to one kind of wheat six of 

 barley, one-fifth more of beans than of wheat, twelve of 

 vetches, three of chick-pease, chicheling vetches, and pease, 

 ten of lupines, three of lentils (these last, however, it is said, 

 must be sown with dry manure) six of fitches, six of fenu- 

 greek, four of kidney-beans, twenty of hay grass, 96 and four 

 sextarii of millet and panic. Where the soil is rich, the pro- 

 portion must be greater, where it is thin, less. 96 



There is another distinction, too, to be made ; where the 

 soil is dense, cretaceous, or moist, there should be six modii of 

 wheat or winter- wheat to the jugerum, but where the land is 

 loose, dry, and prolific, four will be enough. A meagre soil, 

 too, if the crop is not very thinly sown, will produce a dimi- 

 nutive, empty ear. Rich lands give a number of stalks to each 

 grain, and yield a thick crop from only a light sowing. The 

 result, then, is, that from four to six modii must be sown, 

 according to the nature of the soil ; though there are some 

 who make it a rule that five modii is the proper proportion for 

 sowing, neither more nor less, whether it is a densely- plan ted 

 locality, a declivity, or a thin, meagre soil. To this subject 

 bears reference an oracular precept which never can be too 

 carefully observed 97 " Don't rob the harvest." 98 Attius, in his 

 Praxidicus, 99 has added that the proper time for sowing is, 



93 This Chapter is mostly from Columella, B. ii. c. 9. 



94 In c. 19 of this Book. 



95 Probably the mixture called "farrago " in c. 10 and c. 41. 



96 Upon this point the modern agriculturists are by no means agreed. 



97 From Cato, De Re Rust. c. 5. 



98 " Segetem ne defrudes." The former editions mostly read " defruges," 

 in which case the meaning would be, " don't exhaust the land." 



99 This passage of Attius is lost, but Hermann supposes his words to 

 have run thus : 



serere, cum est 



Luna in Ariete, Geminis, Leone, Libra, Aquario. 



