I] BRANCHES OF AGRICULTURE 23 

 CHAPTER V 



BRANCHES OF THE SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE 



1 But now that I have stated the principles and 

 end of agriculture, it remains for us to determine 

 the lumber of departments into which its practice 

 shoud be divided. 



Wky, to me they seem countless, said Agrius, 

 when I read the numerous books of Theophrastus, 

 which are called (purm larooiag (researches on plants) 

 and tie second series entitled (puTiKuv ahim (of the 



2 causes of plant-life). The books you mention, 

 said 5tolo, though I do not mean to imply that 

 they ontain nothing that is of practical use or 

 generd interest, are better suited to the would-be 



3 philoscpher than to the practical farmer. So with- 

 out troibling Theophrastus we ask you to describe 

 the deprtments of agriculture. 



Thee are, said vScrofa, four main branches 

 of the science of agriculture; they consist in the 

 knowldge (i) of the farm, the nature of the soil 

 and its constituents; (2) of the things which are 

 neededon that farm, and should be there for the 

 purposi of its cultivation; (3) of what must be done 

 in the pocess of its cultivation, and (4) of the times 

 of the yar which are suitable for the various opera- 



4 tions 01 it. Of these four principal divisions each is 

 subdivied into at least two others. The first prin- 



