BOOK XVII. 11. 12-15 



Cold weather onlv does damage when it comes with 

 northerly winds, or not at the proper seasons ; indeed 

 for a north-east wind to prevail in winter is most bene- 

 ficial for all crops. But there is an obvious reason for 

 desiring rain in that season, because it is natural for 

 the trees when exhausted by bearing fruit and also by 

 the loss of their leaves to be famished with hunger, 

 and rain is a food for them. Consequently experience 

 iiispires the belief that a mild winter, causing the trees 

 the moment thev have finished bearing to conceive, 

 that is to bud, again, this l)eing followed by another 

 exhausting period of blossoming, is an extremely 

 detrimental thing. Indeed if several years in suc- 

 cession should take this course, even the trees them- 

 selves may die, since no one can doubt the punishment 

 they suffer from putting forth their strength when in 

 a hungry condition ; conscquently the poet who told 

 us to pray for finer winters * was not framing a Htany 

 for the benefit of trees. Nor yet is wet weather over 

 midsummer good for vines. It has indeed been said,'' Treesbene. 

 thanks to the fertility of a vivid imagination,-^ tliat dust ^'^'^ bysmw. 

 in winter makes more abundant harvests; but, quite 

 apart from this, it is the prayer of trees and crops in 

 common that snow may he a long time. The reason 

 is not only because snow shuts in and imprisons the 

 earth's breath when it is disappearing by evaporation, 

 and drives it back into the roots of the vegetation to 

 make strength, but because it also affords a gradual 

 supply of moisture, and this moreover of a pure and 

 extremely hght quality, owing to the fact that rime is 

 the foam of the waters of heaven. Consequently the 

 moisture from snow, not inundating and drenching 

 everything all at once,but shedding drops as from a 

 breast in proportion to the thirst felt, nourishes all 



