BOOK XVII. xxxv. 161-165 



bones of an ox or else through earthenware pipes, 

 and tlien burv them in the earth, leaving two buds 

 protruding. Tliis niakcs the shoots grow into one, 

 and whcn thcv have been cut back thcy throw out 

 a ncw shoot. Afterwards the pipe is broken and 

 the root is left frce to acquire strength and the vine 

 bears grapes on all its constitucnt shoots. Under 

 anothcr method recently discovered a mallet-slioot 

 is spHt down thc middle and after the pith has bcen 

 scraped out the actual lengths of stalk arc ticd to- 

 gether, every precaution bcing takcn to avoid hurting 

 the buds. The mallet-shoot is then planted in a 

 mixtui*e of earth and dung, and when it begins to 

 throw out stalks, it is cut down and dug round several 

 times. Columella guarantees that a vine so grown de Arb. 9. 

 will bear grapes with no stones in them, although it 

 is extremely surprising that the plantcd slips them- 

 selves will Hve after being dcprivcd of their pith. 



I think I ought not to omit to mcntion that trees 

 will grow even from slips that havc no joint in them ; 

 for instance box-trees come up if plantcd with five or 

 six extremely slender slips tied togcthcr. It was 

 formerly the practice to break off thcsc sHps from a 

 box tree that had not becn pruncd, as it was believed 

 that otherwise they would not live ; Ijut experience 

 has done away with that notion. 



After the management of the nursery follows the Arrangemmi 

 arrangement of tlie vineyards. Tliese are of five %remses^.^' 

 kinds — with the branches spreading about on the 

 ground, or with the vine standing up of its own 

 accord, or else with a stay but without a cross-bar, 

 or propped with a single cross-bar, or trellised with 

 four bars in a rectangle. It will be imderstood that 

 the same system that belongs to a propped vine 



113 



