BOOK X\'III. Lxii. 231-1.XIV. 234 



hring mild weather with calm winds for the sitting 

 of the kingfishers." But in thesc and all other matters 

 we shall have to conjecture the influence of the stars 

 from the outcome of their indications, and at all 

 events not expect changes of weather to answer to 

 bail on dates fixed in advance. 



LXIII. Avoid attending to the vine at mid-winter. winierfaTm 

 Hvginus recommends straining the wine then, q^ '*/'^<"<"'* 

 even racking it off a week aftcr the shortest dav has 

 passed, provided a week-okl moon coincides with it; 

 and planting chcrries about mid-winter. It is proper 

 at that date to put acorns in soak as foddcr for oxen, 

 a peck per yoke — a larger quantity is injurious to 

 their health ; and it is said that whenever they are 

 given this feed, if it is not fed to them for at least 

 30 days in succession, an outbreak of mange in 

 the spring will cause you to repent. We have given xvi. 188. 

 this as the time for cutting timber ; and the other 

 kinds of work mav be arranged chiefly in the night 

 time, as the nights are so much longer — weaving 

 wicker baskets, hampers and rush baskets, cutting 

 torches, preparing squared vine-props at the rate 

 of thirty and rounded poles at the rate of sixty a 

 day in day-time, and by artificial hght five props 

 and ten poles in an evening and the same number 

 in the earlv moming. 



LXIV. From midwinter till the west wind blows winterdatet 

 the important stars that mark the dates, according to s"ars? suit- 

 Caesar's observations, are — the Dogstar settinjj at abiefarm 

 dawn on December 30, the dav on which the Eagle is 

 reported to set in the evening for Attica and the neigh- 

 bouring regions ; on January 4 according to Caesar's 

 observations the Dolphin rises at dawn and the next 

 day the Lyre, the Arrow setting in the evening on 



337 



