THE THIRD PERIOD 73 



blossom/ before planting, they are from that mo- 

 ment unfit for planting. The olive must be planted 

 and pruned here and there. 



CHAPTER XXXI 



THE THIRD PERIOD 



In the third period — between the rising of the 

 Pleiads and the summer solstice — the following 

 things should be done: dig or plough round the 

 young vines, then hoe, that is, break the soil, to 

 get rid of all clods. People use the word occare (to 

 hoe), because by hoeing they destroy {occidunt) the 

 clods. The vines must be ** stopped," but by a man 

 who knows his work, as this is an operation of 

 eater importance than pruning. It is to be per- 

 lormed on the vine, not on the tree. ''Stopping" 

 means pinching off from the rod all but two, or occa- 

 sionally three, of the strongest shoots that spring 

 from it, lest, if all be left on, the vine-rod should 

 be unable to furnish sufficient sap. Accordingly, 

 the vine nursery, when the vine first comes up 

 om the ground it is usual to cut it entirely back, 

 m order that on coming up again it may have a 

 onger stem, and greater power to produce shoots. 

 1 or a poor stem is barren from its weakness, and 



Si quae folia, etc. Ci. Geoponica, iii, 5 : dr)\ov 6vroi' wf 

 I fVTov rrpiv i^oidijaai irpbc pXaarrjaiv iiKTiKov ianv tig ipvuiav. 

 "ly yip p\a<rri}9av Uwa^ Swriatrai ^ptitaOau 



