AGRICULTURE. 



finally, when Rome became in turn the con- 

 quered, the victors became acquainted with 

 this accumulated knowledge, and diffused it 

 over the other parts of Europe. 



Of the agriculture of the early Romans we 

 know but little ; but of its state during the 

 period of their greatest prosperity and improve- 

 ment, we fortunately have very full informa- 

 tion. Cato in the second, and Varro in the 

 first century before the Christian era, Virgil, 

 at the period of that event, Columella and 

 Pliny but few years subsequently, and Palla- 

 dium in the second or fourth century, each 

 wrote a w r ork upon agriculture, which, with 

 the exception of that by Columella, have come 

 down to us entire. 



From these various authorities we derive 

 full information; and we are convinced that 

 many of our readers will be surprised a* the 

 correct knowledge of the arts of cultivation 

 possessed by that great nation. 



1. Size nf the Roman Farms. When Romu- 

 lus first partitioned the lands of the infant state 

 among his followers, he assigned to no one 

 more than he conld cultivate. This was a 

 space of only two acres. ( Varro, i. 10 ; Pliny, 

 xvii. 1 1 .) After the kings were expelled, seven 

 acres were allotted to each citizen. (Pliny, 

 xviii. 3.) Cincinnatus, Curius Dentatus, Fa- 

 bricius, Regulus, and others, distinguished as 

 the most deserving of the Romans, had no 

 larger estates than this. Cincinnatus, accord- 

 ing to some authorities, possessed only four 

 acres. (Ibid.; Columella, i. 3, &c.) On these 

 limited spaces they dwelt, and cultivated them 

 with their own hands. It was from the plough 

 that Cincinnatus was summoned to be dictator 

 (Livy, iii. 26) ; and the Samnian ambassadors' 

 found Curius Dentatus cooking his own repast 

 of vegetables in an earthen vessel. (Plutarch, 

 in vita Cato. Cens.) 



Some of the noblest families in Rome derived 

 their patronymic names from ancestors desig- 

 nated after some vegetable, in the cultivation 

 of which they excelled, as in the examples of 

 the Fabii, Pisones, Lentuli, Cicerones, and the 

 like. (Pliny, xviii. 1.) In those days, "when 

 they praised a good man, they called him an 

 agriculturist and a good husbandman: he was 

 thought to be very greatly honoured who was 

 thus praised." (Catn, in Prsef.) As the limits 

 of the empire extended, and its wealth increas- 

 ed, the estates of the Roman proprietors became 

 very greatly enlarged; and, as we shall see 

 more particularly mentioned in our historical 

 notices of gardening, attained to a value of 

 80,000/. (Plutarch in vit. Marina et Lncullns.'} 

 Such extensive proprietors let portions of their 

 estates to other citizens, who, if they paid for 

 them a certain rent, like our modern tenants, 

 were called Cnloni (Columella, i. 7; Pliny, 

 Epist. x. 24) and Politores, or Parti'arii, if they 

 shared the produce in stated proportions with 

 the proprietor. (Pliny, Epist. vii. 30, and ix. 

 37, &c.) Leases were occasionally granted, 

 which appear to have been of longer duration 

 than five years. (Ibid. ix. 37.) 



2. Distinction of Soils. Soils were charac- 

 terized by six different qualities, and were 

 described as rich or poor, free or stiff; wet or 

 dry. ( Culurn. ii. 2.) 



AGRICULTURE. 



| The best soil they thought had a blackish 

 colour, was glutinous when wet, and friable 

 when dry; exhaled an agreeable smell when 

 ploughed, imbibed water readily, retaining a 

 sufficiency, and discharging what was super- 

 fluous ; not injurious to the plough irons by 

 causing a salt rust; frequented by crows and 

 rooks at the time of ploughing; and, when at 

 rest, speedily covered with a rich turf. ( Virg. 

 Georg. ii. 203, 217, 238, 248 ; Pliny, xvii. 5.) 



Vines required a light soil, and corn a heavy, 

 deep, and rich one. (Virg. Georg. ii. 29; Cato, 

 vi.) 



3. Manures. The dung of animals was par- 

 ticularly esteemed by the Romans for enrich- 

 ing their soil. " Study," says Cato, " to have 

 a large dunghill." (Cato, v.) They assidu- 

 ously collected it and stored it in covered pits, 

 so as to check the escape of the drainage. 

 (Colum. i. 6; Pliny, xvii. 9, and xxiv. 19.) 

 They sowed pulverized pigeons' dung and the 

 like over their crops, and mixed it with the 

 surface soil by means of the sarcle or hoe. 

 (Colum. i. 16 ; Cato, xxxvi.) They were aware 

 of the benefit of mixing together earth of oppo- 

 site qualities (Ibid.), and of sowing lupines 

 and ploughing them in while green. ( Varro, i. 

 23.) They burnt the stubble upon the ground, 

 and even collected shrubs and the like for the 

 similar purpose of enriching the soil with 

 their ashes. ( Virg. Georg. i. 84 ; Pliny, xvii. 

 6, 25.) 



Pliny also mentions that lime was employed 

 as a fertilizer in Gaul, and marl in the same 

 country and Britain ; but we can only surmise 

 hence that they were also probably employed 

 by the Romans. (Pliny, xvii. 8, and xvii. 5.) 



4. Draining. The superfluous water of soils 

 was carried off by means both of open and 

 covered drains. ( Colum. ii. 2, 8 ; Pliny, xvii. 

 c. ; Virg. Georg. i. 109.) Cato is very particu- 

 lar in his directions for making them. (Cato, 

 xliii. clx.) 



5. Crops. They cultivated wheat, spelt, 

 barley, oats, flax, beans, pease, lupines, kidney- 

 beans, lentils, tares, sesame, turnips, vines, 

 olives, willows, and the like. To cite the au- 

 thorities who mention each of these would be 

 needless, for they are noticed in all the Roman 

 writers upon agriculture. Of the relative im- 

 portance or proportion in which the crops 

 were profitable to the Romans, we have this 

 judgment of Cato : "If you can buy 100 acres 

 of land in a very good situation, the vineyard 

 is the first object if it yields much wine ; in 

 the second place, a well-watered garden ; in 

 the third, a willow plantation ; in the fourth, 

 an olive ground ; in the fifth, a meadow ; in 

 the sixth, corn ground ; in the seventh, an 

 underwood, a plantation yielding stout poles 

 for training the vine ; and in the ninth, a wood 

 where mast grows." (Cato, i.) 



They made hay, and the process appears to 

 have been the same as in modern times. After > 

 being cut it was turned with forks, piled into 

 conical heaps, and finally into stacks or under 

 cover. But the mowing was imperfectly per- 

 formed ; for, as soon as the hay was removed 

 from the field, the mowers had to go over it 

 again. ( Varro / Colum. ii. 22.) 



6. Implements. -The plough consisted of se- 



D 37 



