26 VARRO ON FARMING [bk. 



arbutus and oak, others flourish better on low lands, 

 as, for example, the almond and the large Mariscan 

 fig. On hills of no great height the crops are more 

 akin to those of the plain than to those of the moun- 

 tain, while with high hills it is just the reverse. 



5 These three types of land (marked by differences 

 of level) occasion certain differences of cultivation, 

 for corn crops, it is thought, do better on the plains, 

 vineyards on hills, and woods on mountains. As a 

 general rule those who cultivate champaign lands 

 do better in winter time, because then there is 

 grass in the meadows and the pruning of trees can 

 be done more easily. On the other hand, summer 

 is more favourable to mountainous districts, for 

 then there is plenty of green fodder there, which is 

 parched on the plain, and the air is cool, which 



6 suits the cultivation of trees. Champaign land, the 

 whole of which slopes uniformly in one direction, 

 is better than that which is absolutely level, because 

 a plain, when it has no fall for drainage, is apt to 

 become swampy, and the more uneven the surface 

 the worse it is, as it gets full of water owing to its 

 hollows. These three and similar differences in 

 elevation of land, affect cultivation in different 

 ways. 



