212 VARRO ON FARMING [bk. 



thing by breeding. A foal of an ass is put when 

 just born under a mare, as the latter's milk makes 

 him bigger, for they say it is more feeding than 

 asses' milk. Chaff, hay, and barley are given to 

 him in addition. Much care^ is taken of the foster- 

 mother, also that she may be able to give a supply 

 of milk as food to the foal. Thus reared he may be 

 used for breeding purposes from three^ years old, 

 and being used to live with the mares he feels no 

 3 repugnance for them. If you use him as a stallion 

 younger, not only does he flag more quickly, but 

 the offspring also are poorer. Those who do not 

 possess an ass which has been suckled by a mare, 

 and want to keep an ass for stud purposes, pick the 

 biggest and handsomest they can, and one that 

 comes from a good nursery — in Arcadia, said the 

 ancients ; but our experience leads us to prefer the 

 Reatine country, where some stallions have been 

 sold for ;^240 and even ;^320 apiece. We buy asses 



^ Inserviunt. Schneider translates cibum largius praebenty 

 and the word must mean something of the kind. The nearest 

 parallel I can find is Cicero, Ad Div., xvi, 17: valetvdini fide- 

 liter inserviendo. 



^ A trimo. Columella (vl, 37, 9) says "not less than three, 

 or more than ten years old." And a few lines earlier: "Thus 

 reared the ass grows fond of mares. Sometimes, too, though 

 suckled by his own mother, if he becomes familiar with them 

 when he is quite young he seeks their company afterwards." 



Aristotle (H. A., vi, 23, end) says that it is indispensable for 

 an ass which is to procreate mules to be reared under a mare. 

 Ou TrpotrS^x^Tai d' ovO' ri 'ittttoq tov bvov ov9' rj ovog tov 'Ittttov, sdv p) 

 Tvxy Te9r]\aKu}Q 6 ovog 'iTnrov, 



