400 A GRICUL TURE. 



to invert the soil and render it free, light, and clear of weeds, 

 so that it can most easily afford nourishment." 



Manuring was held in such high esteem by the Romans that 

 immortality was given to Sterculius for the invention. They 

 collected manure from every source which has been thought of 

 by the moderns, vegetable, animal, and mineral; territorial, 

 aquatic, and marine. Animal dung was divided into three 

 kinds, that produced by birds, that by men, that by cattle. 

 Pigeon dung was preferred to all other, and next human ordure. 

 Pigeon dung was used as a top-dressing, and human dung, 

 mixed with the cleaning of the villas, was applied to the roots 

 of the vine and the olive. "Varro," says Pliny, " extols the 

 dung of thrushes from the aviaries, as food for the swine and 

 oxen, and asserts that there is no food that fattens them more 

 quickly." Varro prefers it also as a manure, on which Pliny 

 observes, " We may have a good opinion of the manners of our 

 times, if our ancestors had such large aviaries as to procure 

 from them dung to their fields." Dung hills were directed to 

 be placed near the villa, their bottoms hollowed out to retain 

 the moisture, and their sides and tops defended from the sun 

 by twigs and leaves. Dung usually remained in the heap a 

 year, and was laid on in the autumn and spring, the two sowing 

 seasons. No more was to be spread than could be plowed in 

 the same day. Crops that were sickly were revived by sowing 

 over them the dust of dung, especially that of birds ; that is, 

 by what is now called a top-dressing. Frequent and moderate 

 dungings are recommended as preferable to occasional and very 

 abundant supplies. 



Green crops, especially lupines, were sown, and before they 

 came into pod plowed in as manures. They were also cut and 

 buried at the roots of fruit trees for the same purpose. Trees, 

 twigs, stubble, etc., were burned for manure. Cato says: "If 

 you cannot sell wood and twigs, and have no stone that will burn 

 into lime, make charcoal of the wood, and burn in the fields the 

 twigs and small branches that remain." Palladius says that 

 lands which have been manured by ashes of trees will not 

 require manure for five years. Stubble was very generally 

 burned, as it was also among the Jews. Lime was used as a 

 manure, especially for vines and olives. Cato gives particular 



