Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

.0 AGRICULTURA. AGRICULTURA.
cant). The normal length of a furrow was 120 September or October, on the ground that was to be
feet, and this is the original import of the word autumn sown; and in the course of January or Feactus. A distinction is drawn between verszls and bruary, on the ground that was to be spring sown.
Oersura, the former being properly thefiusrow, the A full manuring (stercoratio) for a juger of land
latter the extremity of the furrow, or the turning on an upland slope (quod spissizts stercoratur) was
point; but this is far from being strictly observed. 24 loads (vehes), each load being 80 modii or pecks;
(Col. ii. 5. ~~ 27, 28.) while for low-lying land (quod rauius stercoratur)
Four days were allowed for the four ploughings 18 loads were considered sufficient. The dung was
of a juger of rich low-lying land (jzuyeuera talis thrown down in small heaps of the bulk of five
agri quatuor operis expeditur). The first ploughing modii, it was then broken small, was spread out
(proscissio) occupied two days, the second (iteratio) equally and ploughed in instantly that it might not
one day, the third (tertiatio [?]) three fourths of a be dried up by the rays of the sun, great care being
day, and ribbing for the seed one fourth of a day taken to perform these operations when the moon
(in liruasr saturn redigitur quadrante operaue). The was waning, and if possible with a west wind. Acsame time is allowed for the three ploughings of cording to the calculations of Columella, the liverich upland soil (colles pinsis soli) as for the four stock necessary for a farm of two hundred jugers
ploughings of the uliginosus campus, the fatigue ought to yield 1440 loads per year; that is, enough
being much greater, although the difficulties pre- for manuring 60 jugers at the rate of 24 loads to
sented by the acclivity were in some measure re- the juger. In what proportions this was distributed
lieved by ploughing hills in a slanting direction, is nowhere very clearly defined, and must necesinstead of straight up and down. (Cat. 61; Varr. sarily have varied according to circumstances. If
i. 27. 29; Col. ii. 2, 4; Plin, H. N. xviii. 19, 20. we take two statements of Cato in connection with
26; Pallad. i. 6, ii. 3, viii. 1, x. 1; Geopon. ii. each other, we shall be led to conclude that he ad23; and comp. Hom. II. xiii. 704; xviii. 370. vises one half of the whole manure made upon a
640; Od. v. 127.) farm to be applied to the raising of green crops used
as fodder (pabulum), one-fourth to the top-dressing
2. Manzuri7gz (stercosatio). of meadows, and the remaining fourth to the olives
Manure (firmus, stercus). The manure chiefly and fruit-trees. Columella recommends the maemployed was the dung of birds and of the or- nuring of light soil (eilis terra) before the second
dinary domestic animals (steros colm6binuzl7, bubu- ploughing; but when rich lands were summer fallum, ovillum, caprinu71, suilluin, equimum, asininuzu, lowed previous to a corn crop, no manure was con&c.). This differed considerably in quality, ac- sidered requisite. (Hom. Od. xvii. 297, Theocording to the source from which it was procured; phrast. I. IP. A. iii. 25; Cat. 5, 7, 29, 36, 37, 61;
and hence those who raised different kinds of crops Varr. i. 13, 38; Colum. ii. 5, 6, 9, 10, 14, 15,
are enjoined to keep the different sorts of dung xi. 2; Pallad. i. 33, x. i; Cic. de Senect. 15; Plin.
separate, in order that each might be applied in H. N. xvii. 9, xviii. 19, 23; Geopon. ii. 21, 22.)
the most advantageous manner. That derived The system of manuring by penning and feeding
from pigeon-houses (colunebariis), from aviaries sheep upon a limited space of ground was neither
where thrushes were fattened (ev aviariizs turdormenz unknown nor neglected, as we perceive from the
et mierularum), and from birds in general, except precepts of Cato (30), Varro (ii. 2. ~ 12), and
water-fowl, was considered as the hottest and most Pliny (h. N. xviii. 53), all of whom recommend
powerful, and always placed apart, being sown by the practice.
the hand exactly as we deal with guano at the The ashes obtained by burning weeds, bushes,
present moment. The ancient writers very ema- prunings, or any sort of superfluous wood, were
phatically point out the necessity of procuring large found to have the best effect (Virg. Georg. i. 81;
supplies of manure, which the Romnans regarded as Colum. ii. 15; Plin. xvii. 9; Geopon. xii. 4), and
under the especial patronage of a god named Ster- sometimes, as we know from Virgil (Georg. i. 84),
cutius, and farmers were urged to collect straw, it was deemed profitable to set fire to the stubble
weeds, leaves of all sorts, hedge clippings, and standing in the fields. (Plin. fT. N. xviii. 30.)
tender twigs, which were first used to litter the Caustic lime was employed as a fertiliser by some
stock, and then, when mixed with ashes, sweep- of the tribes of Transalpine Gaul in the time of
ings of the house, road-scrapings, and filth of every Pliny, but in Italy its application seems to have
description, served to swell the dufighills (sterqui- been very limited and to have been confined to
linia) These were at least two in number, one vines, olives, and cherry-trees. (Cat. 38; Pallad.
being intended for immediate use, the other for i. 6; Plin. H. N. xvii. 9, xviii. 25, 30.)
the reception of fresh materials, which were allowed Marl also (?ln.aea) of different kinds was known
to remain for a year; dung, when old and well to the Greeks, was applied by the Megarenses to
rotted, being accounted best for all purposes, ex- wet cold lanlsand and was extensively employed in Gaul
cept for top-dressing of meadows, when it was and Britain; but not being found in Italy, did not
used as fresh as possible. The dunghills were enter into the agricultural arrangements of the
formed on ground that had been hollowed out and Latins. Pliny devotes several chapters to an elabeaten down or paved, so that the moisture might borate discussion upon these earths, of which he
not escape through the soil, and they were covered describes various sorts which had been made the
over with brushwood or hurdles to prevent evapo- subject of experiment, classifying them according
ration. In this way the whole mass was kept con- to their colour, their constitution, and their qualistantly moist, and fermentation was still further ties; the white (calb), the red (rgfa), the dovepromoted by turning it over very frequently and coloured (coluzmsbina), the clayey (ar-illacea), the
incorporating the different parts. sandy (aenzacea), the stony (top/acesa), the fat
The particular crops to which manure was chiefly (pinguis), and the caustic [?] (aspera). Some of:applied will be noticed hereafter; but in so far as them we recognise at once, as for example, the fat
regards the time of application it was laid down in white clayey marl chiefly used in Britain, the ef