178 AGRICULTURE. 



however, was settled by another general, Episthenes, who, 

 having taken a fancy to the hoy, carried him to Greece, 

 and he proved, says Xenophon, very faithful. 



In treating of fallows, we have spoken of the numher of 

 ploughings which the Komans gave to their land ; but our 

 description would be incomplete if we did not allude to 

 the manner in which they were executed. On this point 

 some passages are obscure, and Dickson is neither a very 

 definite nor a very safe guide. He wishes to conclude 

 from a single expression in Pliny, which appears as likely 

 at least to refer to the width as to the depth of the furrow, 

 that the ordinary Roman ploughings were nine inches 

 deep. As we know that they were generally executed by 

 two oxen, and that a jugerum, three-fifths of a statute 

 acre, was a regular day's work, and was in free land con- 

 siderably exceeded, a general depth of nine inches will 

 notf to a practical farmer, appear very probable. They 

 were not, however, very superficial, for Pliny will not 

 allow a depth of four fingers three inches to be a 

 ploughing ; but calls it a scarification. As, moreover, one 

 ploughing in the fallow course received a distinctive name, 

 *' proscindere," with respect to which Pliny says " vi omni 

 arato," and as he states that it was not unusual to attach 

 six or even eight oxen to one plough, it seems probable 

 that once at least in the fallow course the land was stirred 

 to a considerable depth. There are several maxims about 

 going below the roots of all the weeds. We should bear 

 in mind that the Roman plough was an implement which 

 did not of necessity turn a furrow, though it was capable 

 of doing so by a direction given to it by the man who pre- 

 sided at the stilts. Our word furrow implies a slice of 

 land turned over, whereas their word " sulcus " implies 

 only a certain breadth disturbed and lightened up. The 

 object of their fallow ploughings, and indeed of all their 

 ploughings, except breaking up turf and the ridging which 

 we have already described, was to stir all the land to an 

 even depth. To effect this, they prescribed very narrow 



