BOOK XVII. VI. 50-54 



possible to be hopeful about our own morals.** But 

 Columella * puts manure from dovecots first, and next 

 manure from the poultry-yard, condemning the drop- 

 pings of water birds entirely. The rest of the author- 

 itics advocate the residue of human banquets as one of 

 the best manures, and some of them place even higher 

 the residue of men's drink, with hair found in curriers' 

 shops soaked in it, while others recommend this Hquor 

 by itself, after water has been again mixed with it and 

 even in larger quantity than when the wine is bcing 

 drunk " ; the fact being that a larger amount of bad- 

 ness has to be overcome in the Hquor when to the 

 original poison of the wine the human factor has been 

 added. These are contested questions ; and they 

 use man even for nourishing soil. Next to this 

 kind of manure the dung of swine is highly com- 

 tnended Columella "^ alone condemning it. Others 

 recommend the dung of any quadruped that feeds 

 on cytisus, but some prefer pigeons' droppings. 

 Next comes the dung of goats, after that sheeps' 

 dung, then cow-dung and last of all that of beasts 

 of burden. 



These distinctions were recognized in early days, 

 and at the same time I do not find modern rules for 

 the use of dung, since in this matter also old times 

 are more serviceable ; and before now in some parts 

 of the provinces there has been so large and valuable 

 a supply of beasts that the practice has been seen 

 of passing dung through a sieve, Hke flour, the 

 stench and look of it being transformed by the action 

 of time into something actually attractive. (It has 

 lately been found that oHves particularly thrive on 

 ashes from a Hme kiln.)< To the rules given Varro/ 



1. xxxviii. 3. 



37 



