BOOK V. xr. 13-15 



Dig a trench measuring four feet each way at such 

 a distance from an olive-tree that the ends of the 

 branches can reach it. Then plant a small fig-tree 

 in the trench, and be careful that it grows strong and 

 healthy. After two years, when it has made enough 14 

 growth, bend down the branch of the olive-tree 

 which seems to be the healthiest and bind it to the 

 stock of the fig-tree. Then lop off the rest of the 

 branches and leave only the tops which you wish to 

 engraft ; then cut through the trunk of the fig-tree 

 and smooth off the wound and split it in the middle 

 with a wedge. Then pare the tops of the olive-tree, 15 

 still adhering to the mother-tree, on both sides, and 

 then insert « them in the cleft in the fig-tree, and 

 take away the wedge and carefully tie the little 

 branches so that no force may tear them away. 

 Then after an interval of three years the fig-tree will 

 coalesce with the olive-tree, and finally, in the fourth 

 year, when they have become properly united, you 

 will cut off the little olive branches from the mother- 

 tree, just as if they were layers. This is the way 

 in which you will graft any kind of scion on any kind 

 of tree. But before we make an end of this book, 

 since in the earlier books we treat of almost every 

 kind of small tree, I regard it as a brief and opportune 

 task to give instructions about the shrub-trefoil.* 



» By bending them over, not cutting them off. 

 * The text here is doubtful : one MS. seems to contain 

 two sets of words expressing the same thing. 



1* prioribus a : priores SAc. 1* incipere SAac. 

 1* parvum Aac : pravum S. i^ p^to A : fuit Sa : om. c. 

 ^* post puto add. nunc (hunc c) arboris praecipientes oppor- 

 tune eius meminerimus SAac. 



Ill 



