BOOi: II. XIV. 6-8 



them with the cleanings from his iuclosure ; he may 

 sink a trench such as, in my first book," I directed to be 

 made for the storage of manure, and may heap to- 

 gether in one pile his ashes, sewer filth, straw, and 

 other dirt that is swept out. But it is well to fasten a 

 piece of oak wood in the middle of that same place, 

 for tliis keeps the harmful serpent from hiding in the 

 manure.'' All this of land which is bereft of cattle ; 7 

 for where herds of four-footed animals are kept, there 

 are some places, such as the kitchen and the goat- 

 sheds, which should be cleaned every day, and others, 

 like the ox-stalls and sheepfolds, which are to be 

 cleaned on rainy days. And if the ground is used 

 merely for gi-ain, it is of no importance to keep the 

 different kinds of manure apart ; but if the farm is 

 laid out for a niu-sery, for grainfields, and also for 

 meadows, the manure too must be stored separately, 

 as that of goats and of birds. Then the rest of the 

 refuse should be gathered into the hollowed-out place 

 before mentioned, and it should be constantly 

 satm-ated with moisture, so that the weed seeds mixed 

 with the chaff and other matter may rot. Then 8 

 during the summer months the whole dunghill should 

 be thoroughly stirred with rakes, just as if you Avere 

 loosening the ground, so that it may decay more 

 readily and be fit for the land. Moreover, I coasider 

 those farmers lacking in industry who have from each 

 of the smaller animals less than one load ' of manure 

 in thirty days, and likewise ten loads from each of the 

 larger ones ; and the same amount from each person, 

 for they can gather and heap together not only the 

 waste matter from their own bodies, but also the dirt 



' Columella, XI. 2. 86, speaks of one load (vehis) of manure 

 as containing 80 modii ( = about 20 bushels). 



199 



