8o VARRO ON FARMING [bk. 



you never hear in the country, answered Treme- 

 lius, the expression, *' on the eighth day ^ before the 

 moon begins to increase," and '^the eighth day 

 before she begins to wane"? And that of those 

 things which should be done when the moon is 

 waxing, some are yet better done after than before 

 the eighth day before full moon? And that whatever 

 things it was good to do when the moon was waning 

 were better done when that luminary had the least 

 light? 



I have already spoken of the fourfold division 

 observed in agriculture. 

 4 There is, said Stolo, a second division of times 

 connected in a certain way with the sun and 

 moon, and this division is into six parts; for almost 

 all fruits reach their full perfection only with the 

 fifth phase, and then in the farm-house make the 

 acquaintance of the jar or bushel, whence in the 

 sixth phase they are produced for consumption. 



These are the six phases: (i) Initial prepara- 

 tion; (2) sowing; (3) rearing; (4) gathering; (5) 

 storing; (6) producing for use. For some things 

 the preparations necessary are: trenching, digging' 



' Octavo Janam lunam, like octavo Kalendas, etc., with el- 

 lipse of ante. 



Nigidius, according to Macrobius (Saturnalia, i, 9, 8) identi- 

 fied lanus with Apollo (the Sun-God) and lana with Diana 

 (the Moon-God). Tertullian (Ad Nat. ii, 15, p. 128) makes 

 lana the goddess of the bow or the arch. 



Here there is no doubt but that the moon is meant, and 

 many commentators (Gesner) have considered luna to be a 

 gloss. 



