BOOK V. IX. 10-13 



be free from such injury by cattle. The plants must 11 

 also be watered, when droughts occur, and they must 

 not be touched with the knife unless two years have 

 passed; and, firstly, they ought to be trimmed so 

 that there is only a single stem which exceeds the 

 height of the tallest ox ; and, secondly, lest in 

 ploughing an ox should hit it with his haunch or any 

 other part of his body, it is best to protect the plants 

 with fences, even plants that are established. 



When the olive grove is established and has 

 reached maturity, you must divide it into two parts, 

 so that they may be clothed with fruit in alternate 

 years ; for the olive-tree does not produce an 

 abundance two years in succession. When the 12 

 ground underneath has not been sown with a crop, the 

 tree is putting forth its shoots ; when the ground is full 

 of sown crop, the tree is bearing fruit ; the olive-grove, 

 therefore, being thus divided, gives an equal return 

 every year. But it ought to be ploughed at least twice 

 a year and dug deep all round the trees with hoes ; for 

 after the solstice, when the ground gapes open from 

 the heat, care must be taken that the sun does not 

 penetrate to the roots of the trees through the 

 cracks. After the autumn equinox the trees ought 13 

 to be trenched all round, so that, if the olive-grove is 

 on a slope, ditches may be formed from the higher 

 ground to convey water to the trunks of the trees. 

 Next every shoot which springs from the lowest part 

 of the stem must be removed each year, and every 

 third year the olive-trees must be fed with dung. 

 The olive-grove will be manured by the same method 

 as that which I suggested in the second book," if, 



' Book II. 15. 1-3. 



83 



