BOOK XVII. xxxv. 196-199 



vines and plant a quickset in eacli ; prevent any 

 shade froni talling on the furrows, and dig them over 

 frequently. Plant ocimim " clover in an old vineyard 

 if the soil is nieagre — forbear to sow anything that 

 niakes seed — and put dung, chatf and grape husks 

 or soniething of that sort round the feet. When 

 a vine begins to show leaves, trim it. Fasten young 

 viiies with several ties, so that the stems may not get 

 l)roken ; and as soon as a vine begins to run out into 

 a rod, tie down its young shoots hghtly and stretch 

 them out so as to be in the right position. Wheii the 

 grapes begin to become mottled, tie up the vines below. 

 One season for grafting a vine is during spring, and 

 another when the bunch bk)ssoms : the kitter is the 

 best. If you want to transphmt an okl vine, you will 

 only be able to do so if it is of the thickness of an arm. 

 I- irst prune it ; do not leave niore than two buds on 

 tlie stem. Dig it well up from the i-oots, and be 

 careful not to injure the roots. Phice it in the hole 

 or furrow just as it was before, and cover it up and 

 tread it down well ; and set up the vine and tie it 

 and bend it over in the same direction as it was 

 before ; and dig the ground frequently.' — Ocimun, 

 which Cato recommends planting in a vineyard, was 

 the old name for a fodder-plant capable of standing 

 shade, and refers to its rapid growth. 



There follows the method of growing vines on a armnnq 

 tree, which was condemned in a remarkable way by ^rm ■"uUr- 

 Saserna the elder and by his son, but highly spoken tionujtrees, 

 of by Scrofa — these are the oldest writers 011 agri- meniT" ""^ 

 culture after Cato, and are very great authorities ; 

 and even Scrofa only allows it in Italv, although so 

 long a period of time gives the verdict that high-class 

 wines can only be produced from vines on trees, and 



137 



