BOOK III. II. 31-111. 2 



in abundance of yield." But as for this opinion, 32 

 though I myself was of the same mind not long ago, 

 I shall soon tell in the proper place what my more 

 private judgment is. For it is my purpose to teach 

 the method by which vineyards may be managed so 

 as to be at the same time fruitful and productive ofi^ 

 a wine that will bring a good price. 



III. Now, before discoursing on the planting of 

 vines, I think it not out of place to lay down, as a "* 

 sort of foundation for the coming discussion, the 

 principle that we would have carefully weighed and 

 investigated in advance whether viticulture will 

 enrich the proprietor ; for it is well-nigh purpose- 

 less as yet to give directions for planting vines, 

 as long as the prior question is not yet affirmatively 

 answered — whether vines should be kept at all. 

 And most people would be doubtful on this point, 

 to such an extent that many would avoid and dread 

 such an ordering of their land, and would consider 

 it preferable to o^vn meadows and pastures, or wood- 

 land for cutting ; for in the matter of ground planted 2 

 with trees for the suppoi't of vines * there has been 

 no little dispute even among authorities, Saserna 

 being unfavourable to this kind of land, and Tremelius 

 approving it most highly. But we shall make an 

 appraisal of this opinion in its proper place. Mean- 

 while those devoted to the study of agriculture must 

 be informed of one thing first of all — that the return 

 from vineyards is a very rich one. And to pass over 

 the old-time fertility of the land, of whiter. Marcus 

 Cato long ago, and Terentius Varro '^ more recently, 

 recorded that each iugerum of vineyard yielded six 

 hundred urnae <* of wine — for Varro so declares most 

 emphatically in the first book of his Res Rusticae — 



253 



