Vol, XIX, Second Series. 



ROCHESTER, N. Y., IV^ARCH, 1858. 



No. 3. 



EOMAN AGRICULTUKE. 



Nkaelt all the recent investigations undertaken 

 for the purpose of developing the principles of 

 Agriculture, have demonstrated the important fact 

 that tho-se pi-actices Avhich are founded on the care- 

 ful observations of practical farmers, are eminently 

 judicious. This fact, while it has damped some- 

 what the ardor of those who anticipated a revolu- 

 tion in agriculture from the introduction of special 

 manures founded on the analyses of plants and soils, 

 lias stitnulated Tnore cautious inquirers to study the 

 opinions of practical men, not only of the present, 

 but of the past. Hence it is that the agriculture 

 of the ancient Romans is now receiving so much 

 attention from some of the best British agricultural 

 writers. From the similarity of our climate, this 

 subject is even more worthy the attention of the 

 farmers of this country than of those of England. 

 "We have, in the old books on Eoman agriculture, 

 a vast storehouse of observed facts, which, when 

 examined by the light of modern science, not only 

 suggests many subjects of great interest to the 

 student of agricultural phenomena, but may enable 

 us to deduce principles which will lead to an 

 improvement in our present practices. 



The most complete treatise, on Roman agriculture 

 was written by Columella, who flourished A. D. 42. 

 It consists of thirteen books, one of which is in 

 verse. This author gives practical directions for 

 draining the land, both by open and covered drains. 

 The covered drains, he says, should be three feet 

 deep, lialf filled with small stones or clean gravel, 

 the earth that was dug out being thrown over 

 them. If neither stones nor gravel can be obtained, 

 he advises that twigs should be twisted like a rope, 

 and formed to the exact thickness of the bottom 

 of the drain, and then that cypress or pine leaves 

 should be pressed down upon it, taking care that 

 at both ends of the drain two stones should be 

 placed upright like pillars, having another laid over 

 their top, to support the bank, and give a free 

 ingress and egress to the water. 



Plowixg. — The Roman agri(?ultural writers inva- 

 riably represent plowing as the most important 

 operation of agriculture. Oato observes that ifj 

 asked what is the first point in good husbandry, he 

 should answer, good plowing; what the second — 

 plowing of any kind; what the third — manuring: 

 thus indicating the subordinate place he would 

 assign to the latter. This was at an early period 

 of Roman history, when the land retained, proba- 

 bly, much of its original fertility. In the time of 

 Columella, manuring was considered more essen- 

 tial ; but even this writer evidently considered 

 plowing one of the most important operations on 

 the farm, and his directions must be admitted to be 

 very practical and judicious. The land was never 

 to be plowed when wet; in order completely to 

 pulverize the soil, cross-plowing was to be resorted 

 to ; the furrows were to be narrow and close, so 

 that all roots and weeds might be destroyed ; and 

 the surface left so equal that few or no traces of the 

 plow could be perceived. Particular care was to 

 be taken by the plowman, not to make an unequal 

 furrow — one varying in breadth and depth; and 

 when the ridges were thrown up, they were to be 

 perfectly straight. So much were these two points 

 insisted on, that they gave rise to the primary 

 meaning of two words which are now in common 

 use in a figurative sense. To plow with an irreg- 

 ular furrow (varlo sulco) was to prevaricate — a 

 term afterwards transferred to a witness in the law 

 courts who deviated from the truth. The ridge 

 thrown up by the plow was called lira; and if 

 that was formed irregularly, the plowman was said 

 delirare — a term which, under the foi-m of delirious 

 we now use to signify only mental aberration. "We 

 hope our right-minded and truthful readers will 

 not act so inconsistently in their plowing opera- 

 tions as to merit, in its etymological sense, the title 

 of delirious prevaricators. 



Subsoiling appears to have been unknown, but 

 the land was sometimes plowed nine inches deep, 

 and generally three or four times in the course of 



