BOOK II. III. 2-iv. 3 



should be led to water and enticed by whistling to 

 drink more freely, and then at length taken back to 

 eat their fill of a more generous allowance of fodder. 



It is enough to have discussed the duties of the 

 ploughman up to this point. Our next step is to give 

 directions also as to the seasons for breaking up 

 ploughland. 



IV. Rich plains which hold water for a considerable 

 length of time are to be broken at a time of year when 

 it is gro\ving Avarm, after they have put forth all their 

 vegetation and while the seeds of this vegetation 

 have not yet ripened ; but they should be ploughed 

 ■with furroAvs so numerous and close together that it 

 can hardly be told in what direction the plough- 

 share has been driven, for in this way all the roots 

 of the groAvth are broken off and killed. But fallow 2 

 land ° should be so pulverized by much re-ploughing 

 that it will require no harrowing, or very little, 

 after we have put in the seed. For the ancient 

 Romans said that a field was poorly prepared when 

 it had to be harrowed after the crop was in the 

 ground. Fiu-thermore, a farmer should examine it 3 

 frequently to see whether it is properly ploughed — 

 and not merely by sight, which is sometimes mis- 

 taken when earth is scattered over unploughed 

 skips that lie hidden, but also by touch, which is 

 deceived the less when a strong and stiff pole is put 

 to use and pushed into the furrows crosswise. If it 

 goes in to a uniform depth and without striking 

 anything, it is clear that all the ground has been 

 stirred in turn ; but if some harder spot obstructs its 

 entrance, it shows that there is unbroken fallow. 

 When ploughmen observe that this is done rather 

 frequently, they are not guilty of leaving skips.* Wet 



139 



