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

AGRICULTURA. AGRICULTURA. 63
might be lost or damaged (ne qui floccZ inlereant). end of three months, and then transferred at once
The wool, when fresh shorn and still impregnated to the flock (szbnilttuntur et in grege incipiunt esse).
with the sweat of the animal, was called lana The hair (pili) of goats was shorn or plucked
succida; the fleeces when rolled up were termed (capras vellere is the technical phrase) out reguvelle?'a, or veluminn. Oves hirtae, when shorn, larly, and used in the manufacture of coarse stuffs
were immediately smeared with wine and oil, to (usum in castrorum et miseris velamina nautis,which white wax and hog's lard were occasion- pilos ministrant ad usum nauticumn et ad bellica torally added; while the jackets of the oves pel- menta). The cloths woven from this material
litae were anointed with the same mixture, and were termed Cilicia, because the goats in the
then replaced on the animals. Instead of this, southern and central provinces of Asia Minor, like
some rubbed in a wash composed of equal parts of the modern Angora species, were remarkable for
boiled lupine juice, lees of old wine, and amurca. the length of their hair. (In Cilicia circaque
Any wound inflicted during the process was dressed Syrtes villo tonsili vestiuntur, are the words of
with tar (pix liquida). On the fourth day they Pliny, who here alludes to the goats from the
were bathed, if possible, in the sea; if not, in rain- Cinyps in Libya, the " Cinyphii hirci " of Virgil.)
water mixed with salt. In Spain and some other (Colum. i. Praef. ~ 26, vii. 6; Plin. H. N. viii.
places it was customary to shear the sheep twice a 50; Pallad. xii. 13; Varr. ii. 3, ii. 1. ~ 5. 28.)
year, under the belief that the additional labour 3. Swine (pecus suillum) were divided into two
was more than compensated by the increased quan- classes, the sues densac, usually black in colour,
tity of wool. The ancient practice of plucking the thickly covered with bristles; and the sues glabrae,
wool instead of shearing it, still lingered in certain generally white, and comparatively smooth; but
districts even when Pliny wrote. (Varr. ii. 1. ~ 5, there seems to have been little difference in the
16, 20, ii. 2; Colum. i. Praef. ~ 26, vii. 2, 3, 4, management of the two breeds, except that the
xi. 2. ~ 14; Plin. H. N. viii. 47, 48; Pallad. ii. former was the more hardy.
6, v. 7, vi. 8, vii. 6, viii. 4, xii. 13.) The points characteristic of a good animal, and
2. Goats (pecus caprinsum) were divided into the warranty usually required by the purchaser,
two classes, the genus mutilum et raripilum, the will be found in Varro (ii. 4), Columella (vii. 9),
polled and thin haired, and the genus corndutZm and Palladius (iii. 26).
et setosiMn, the horned and shaggy; but there does During a great portion of the year, wherever it
not appear to have been any difference in the mode was practicable, they were driven out to feed early
of rearing them, nor indeed do they seem to have in the morning in woods where acorns, beechbeen kept distinct; but it was considered advis- mast, wild fruits, and berries abounded; and in
able that the old he-goat, the dun gregis, should the middle of the day they reposed, if possible, in
be zmutilus, because he was then less troublesome swampy ground, where they had not only water
and pugnacious. but mud also wherein to wallow; in the cool of
The points characteristic of a good animal will the evening they fed again, were taught to assemble
be found enumerated in Varro (ii. 3, ~ 2 —5) and when the swineherd (subulcus) sounded his horn,
in Columella (vii. 6). The most high bred had and were then driven home to the farm. In winter
always two long flaps of skin (verrluclae, laciniae) they were not allowed to go forth when frost was
depending from the throat. One peculiarity con- hard upon the ground. When kept in the house,
nected with sales was that they were never war- their chief food was acorns, or when the supply of
ranted in good health, for they were believed to these failed, beans, barley, and other kinds of grain
be always more or less labouring under fever. and pulse. The number in each herd varied from
The management of goats was in most respects 100 to 150, or even more, according to circumthe same as that of sheep, except that, although stances and the means of the proprietor, and the
intolerant of frost and cold, they throve better in proportion of one boar to ten sows was usually
mountainous craggy ground or among copsewood, observed.
where they broused with great eagerness on the The sows were not considered fit for breeding
young twigs, than in open grassy plains. Both until upwards of a year old, and continued prolific
from their wandering nature and their liability to to the age of seven; boars (verres) were in full
contract disease when crowded in pens, not more vigour from one year old till four; the best time
than fifty were kept together in a flock under the for impregnation was from the middle of February
charge of the same goatherd (caprarius), the pro- up to the vernal equinox, the period of gestation
portion of one male (caper, hircus) to about fifteen was four months, and the pigs being weaned at the
females (caprae, calpellae) being commonly ob- end of two, a double farrow might be procured in
served. a year.
When in stalls (caprilia), the sloping floor was Each breeding sow (scrofca) brought up her pigs
usually formed out of the native rock or paved (porcus, porca, porcellus) in a separate stye (hara),
with smooth stones, for no litter was placed be- constructed in such a manner that the superintendneath their feet. The houses were swept out ant (custos, porculator) might easily see into the
daily: and it was deemed essential to their health interior and thus be prepared to relieve the progeny,
that no moisture or dirt of any kind should be al- which were in constant danger of being crushed by
lowed to accumulate. The she-goat was capable the weight of the mother who was supposed to
of breeding from one year old until eight; but the bring forth as many young as she had teats, and
progeny of a mother under three years old were was capable of suckling eight at first, but when
not worth keeping permanently, but sold off. The they increased in size it was deemed advisable to
best time for impregnation was the end of autumn; withdraw one half of that number. Sucking pigs
for the period of gestation being five months, the (lactentes) when ten days old were accounted pure
kids (hoedi) were thus born in spring. If the dam for sacrifice, and hence were anciently termed sacres;
vtwas of a good stock, she generally produced two or after the suckling time (nutricatus, porculatio), which
even three at a birth, which w-ere weaned at the lasted two months, was over, they were denomi