BOOK XVIII. L. 186-u. 188 



afford pasture for cattle ; aiid the ornps that have been 

 eaten down as pasture have to be resuscitated with 

 the hoe. But in Bactria and Africa and at Cyrene 

 all these operations are rendered superfluous by the 

 indulgence of the climate, and after sowing they only 

 go back into the fields at harvest, because the dry 

 atmosphere prevents weeds, the crops depending for 

 nourishment on the dew-fall at night. Virgil advises 

 letting the fields ' He fallow turn and turn about '," and 

 if the extentof the farm allows it, this is undoubtedly 

 extremclv uscful ; but if concHtions forbid it, 

 emmer wheat should be sown in ground which has 

 borne a crop of lupines or vetch or beans, and plants 

 that enrich the land. And another point to be noticed 

 as of first importance is this, that some interim crops 

 are sown for the sake of other crops if these liave 

 made an unsatisfactory return, as we have said in the 

 preceding volume — not to repeat the same things too xvir. 66. 

 often; for the quality of eacli particular soil is of the 

 greatest importance. 



LI. There is a city-state of Africa called Tacape, Lando/ 

 in the middle of the desert on the route to the Syrtes jSi?"' 

 and Great Leptis, which has the exccptionally mar- 

 vellous blessing of a well-watered soil. There is a 

 spring that distributes water ovcr a space of about 

 three miles in every direction, giving a gcnerous 

 supply, but nevertheless it is distributcd among the 

 population only at special fixed periods of the day. 

 Here underneath palms of exceptional size there 

 are olivcs, under the oHves figs, under the figs 

 pomegranates, and under those vines ; and under- 

 neath the vines is sown corn. and later leguminous 

 plants, and then garden vegctables, all in the same 

 year, and all nourished in the shade of something else. 



307 



