BOOK XVII. xxxviii. 245-x\xi.\. 248 



and the ci'ops growing on the other side passed over 

 in the opposite direction to take the place of the 

 olive grove. 



XXXIX. Now that we have set out the diseases Rnnedu» for 

 of trees it is suitable also to state the remedies for treesf^' 

 them. Some of these are common to all trees and MsUkesof 

 some peciiliar to some of them. Remedies common 

 to all are loosening the soil, banking it up, admitting 

 air to the roots or covering them up, making a 

 channel to give them water or to drain it away, 

 dung refreshing them with its juice, pruning to 

 relieve them of weight, also letting out the sap Uke 

 a surgical blood-letting, scraping a ring of bark, 

 stretching out the vine-sprays andchecking the shoots, 

 trimming off and as it were polishing up the buds if 

 they have been shrivelled and roughened by cold 

 weather. Some trees Hke these treatments more 

 and others less, for example the cypress scorns both 

 water and dung and hates being dug round and 

 pruned and all kinds of nursing, in fact irrigation 

 kills it, whereas it is exceptionally nourishing for 

 vines and pomegranates. In the case of the fig 

 irrigation nourishes the tree itself but makes the 

 fruit decay. Almond-trees lose their blossom if the 

 ground round them is made clean by being dug 

 over. Also trces that have been grafted must not 

 be dug round before they are strong and begin 

 to bear fruit. Most trees however want to have 

 their burdensome and superfluous growth pruned 

 away, just as we have our nails and hair cut. Old 

 trees are cut down entirely and spring up again 

 from some sucker, but thcy will not all do this but 

 only those whose nature we have stated to allow x;vi. 123, 

 or ir. 241. 



171 



