BOOK XVII. iii. 30-32 



also the vines have begun to be nipped, which did not 

 occur before ; while on the other hand the city of 

 Aenos, since the river Maritza was brought near to it, 

 has experienced an increase of warmth " and the district 

 round Philippi altered its cUmate when its land under 

 cultivation was drained. On the other hand on land 

 belonging to Syracuse a farmer who was a newcomer to 

 the district by removing the stones from the soil caused 

 his crops to be ruined by mud, until he carried the 

 stones back again. In Syria they use a hglit plough- 

 share that cuts a narrow furrow, because the sub- 

 soil is rock which causes the seeds to be scorched 

 in summer. 



Again, immoderate heat and cold have a similar sot/ anJ 

 effect in certain places. Thrace owes its fertility in "* 

 corn to cold, Africa and Egypt to heat. There is one 

 place in the ishmd of Chalcia belonging to Rhodes 

 which is so fertile that they reap barley sown at its 

 proper time and after carrving it at once sow the field 

 again and reap a second crop of barley with the other 

 harvest. In the district of Venafrum a gravel soil is 

 found to be most suitable for ohves, but in Baetica a 

 very rich soil. The vines of Pucinum * are scorched on 

 rock, whereas those of Caecubum grow in the damp 

 ground of the Pontine Marshes. So much variety 

 and diversitv obtains in the evidence of experience 

 and in soil. Vopiscus Caesar when appearing 

 in a case before the Censors spoke of the plains of 

 Rosia as ' the paps of Italy ', where stakes left 

 lying on the ground the day before were hidden 

 with grass ; but these plains are only valued for 

 pasture. Nevertlieless Nature did not wish that we 

 should be iminstructed, and has caused errors to be 

 fully admitted even where she had not given clear 



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