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same course in horticulture as did the 

 Grecians, and for our knowledge upon 

 this point we are indebted to Cato, 

 Varro, Palladius, Tacitus, Virgil, Colu- 

 mella, Martial, the younger Pliny, and 

 others. According to Cato, many of the 

 wealthy had their vegetable gardens in 

 the neighborhood of Rome, from which 

 they received their supplies of this nature, 

 which were abundant and of excellent 

 quality. Cato enumerates many of these 

 vegetables which are familiarily known 

 to us, and gives advice as to their proper 

 cultivation. Especially is this the case 

 with asparagus, for which he gives full 

 directions for the formation of the bed, 

 the proper distance between the plants, 

 the time and mode of weeding and of 

 "plucking." Nearly all, especially the 

 later writers, Columella, Varro, and Vir- 

 gil, also make mention of the more com- 

 mon vegetables, among which lettuce, 

 beets, peas, beans, carrots, parsnips, 

 onions, parsley, and cucumbers are con- 

 spicuous. Both Cato and Palladius give 

 15 



