56 VARRO ON FARMING [bk. 



opinion, however, that neither of these numbers 

 suits every kind of land, and either number suits 

 some land. For different soils are more or less easy 



2 to plough. Some land can be broken up only by 

 oxen of great strength, and often the plough-beam 

 breaks and the ploughshare is left in the land. So, 

 in the case of particular farms, we must while yet 

 without experience be ruled ^ by three considera- 

 tions: the practice of the former owner, that of our 

 neighbours, and judicious experiments of our own. 



3 As to Cato's addition of three asses to carry 

 manure and an ass to turn the mill (in the case of 

 a vineyard of a hundred acres, one yoke of oxen, one 

 yoke of asses, and one ass to turn the mill), we ought 

 to include in this category of semi-vocal instru- 

 ments only those sheep and swine which will aid 

 production, and the few which are usually kept as 

 the slaves' private property in order that the latter 

 may more easily maintain themselves and stick wel 

 to their work. With regard to this kind of stock 

 not only do those who have pasture land prefer U 

 keep sheep rather than swine, but those also wh< 

 keep them not on account of the pasturage, but for 

 the sake of their manure. 



Dogs in any case you must have, as the farm ii 

 not safe without them. 



^ Quo sequendum . . . regula^ etc. Schneider, with no sup 

 port from MSS., reads regulam, etc. ReguJa (for regulam 

 might easily be corrupted to regula ; and the reading of th< 

 text is at the least extremely harsh. 



