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

AGRICULT URA. AGRICULTURA. 65
twenty, but when young was limited to twelve or 4. Mules. Mulus and Mida. were the general
fifteen females. The period of gestation being terms for the hybrid between a horse and an ass,
twelve lunar months and ten days, the best time for but in practice a distinction was drawn between
impregnation was from the vernal equinox to the lIsuli and Hinni. Hinni were the progeny of a
summer solstice, since parturition would then take stallion and a she-ass, Muli of a male ass and a
place during the most favourable season. High mare. The latter were larger in proportion, and
bred mares were not allowed to produce more than more esteemed than the former. A cross someonce in two years. Ten days after birth the foal times was formed between the mare and the onager
(pullus equinus, equzleus) was permitted to accom- as a matter of curiosity.
pany its dam to pasture; at the age of five months, Uncommon care was taken by breeders of mules
it was customary to begin feeding them with barley- in the selection of the parents. A strong largemeal and bran, and when a year old, with plain boned mare, powerful rather than swift, was usuunground barley; but the best colts were allowed ally chosen. The male asses at their birth were
to continue sucking until they had completed two removed from their mother, suckled by mares,
years, and at three years they were broken in for reared upon the most nourishing food (hay and
the toil to which they were destined, whether for barley), and attained to full vigour when three
racing (ad cursuram), for draught (ad rliedam), years old. A good admissarius from Arcadia or
for carrying burthens (ad vecturam), or for military Reate was worth from thirty to forty thousand sesservice (ad ephippium), but they were not regularly terces (2501. to 3301. sterling). The period of
worked until four off. gestation was observed to be a little longer than
Race and war horses were not castrated; but the ini the case of the pure horse or ass, extending to
operation was frequently performed on those des- thirteen lunar months; in all other respects their
tined for the road, from the conviction that the management, habits, and mode of sale were the
gelding (canterius), while less bold and spirited was same.
more safe and tractable (in viis habere malunt The great use of mules was in drawing travelling
placidos). carriages (hisce eninm bi is conjinctis omnia veIt is to be observed that horses were, and in- ticulca in viis ducuntur); they were also employed,
deed are, very little used for agricultural purposes like asses, in carrying burdens upon pack saddles
in Italy and Southern Europe, the ordinary toils (clitellae), and in ploughing light land. The finer
being carried on almost exclusively by oxen, and kinds, when kept in herds, were driven in summer
hence they never were by any means objects of from the rich plains of Rosea on the Velinus to the
such general interest to the farmer as among our- Montes Gurgures. (Varr. ii. 1. ~ 16, ii. 8; Colunm.
selves. vi. 36, 37, Plin. H. N. viii. 44; Pallad. iv. 14.)
We may remark that Varro, Columella, and
many other writers, repeat the absurd story em
bellished by the poetry of Virgil, that mares in 1. Dogs (canes) were divided into three classes:
some districts of Spain became pregnant by the a. Calnes fillatzci; watch-dogs, whose office was to
influence of a particular wind, adding that the colts guard farm-houses against the aggressions of thieves.
conceived in this manner did not live beyond the b. Canes Pastorales s. Canes Pecztarii, to protect
age of three years. (Varr. i. Praef. ~ 26, ii. 1. the flocks and herds from robbers and wild beasts.
~ 18, 7. ~ 7; Colum. vi. 27, 29; PIi. H. N. viii. Each opilio was generally attended by two of
42; Pallad. iv. 13.) these; equipped with spiked collars (mellun), to
3. Asses (asinus, asina) were divided into two serve as a defence in their encounters with wolves
classes, the Genis manszstetin, or common domestic and other adversaries.
quadruped (asines, aselhbs), and the Genus ferzmn, c. Canes Venatici. Sporting dogs.
the wild ass (onager, onagrus), which was common Varro and Columella describe minutely the
in Phrygia and Lycaoniaj was easily tamed and points of the first two classes, with which alone the
made an excellent cross. former was concerned, and these seem to be idenThe most celebrated breeds were those of Ar- tical with the animals employed for the same purcadia and of Reate. The latter was so highly es- pose at the present day in the Abruzzi. They
teemed in the time of Varro, that a single indi- were fed upon barley meal and whey, or in places
vidual of this stock had been known to fetch sixty where no cheese was made, on wheaten bread
thousand sesterces (about 5001. sterling), and a moistened with the warm liquor in which beans
team of four, as much as four hundred thousand had been boiled. (Varr. ii. 9; Colum. vii. 12.)
(upwards of 33001. sterling). Such animals were 2. Feeders (pastores).
of course delicately nurtured, being fed chiefly upon The flocks anid herds which fed in the immefar and barley bran (fitsfires ordeacei). The infe- diate neighbourhood of the farms were usually
rior description of asses (minor asellus) were valued tended by old men, boys, or even women;' but
by farmers because they were very hardy, not those which were driven to distant and mounsubject to disease, capable of enduring much toil, tainous pastures were placed under the care of
required little food and that of the coarsest kind, persons in the vigour of life, who always went well
suych as the leaves and twigs of thorny shrubs, and armed and were accompanied by beasts of burden
might be made serviceable in various ways, as in (jtmnzenta dossuaria), carrying all the apparatus and
carrying burdens (aselli dossuarti), turning corn stores required during a protracted absence; the
mills and even in ploughing, where the soil was whole body of men and animals being under the
not stiff. The time of impregnation, the period of command of an experienced and trustworthy ingestation, and the management of the foals (pulli), dividual, styled Mcgister Pecoris, who kept all
were the same as in horses. They.were seldom the accounts and possessed a competent knowledge
kept in sufficient numbers to form a herd. (Varr. ii. of the veterinary art.
1. ~ 14, ii. 6.; Colum. vii. 1; Plin. H. N. viii. 43; We may conclude this part of the subject with
Pallad. iv. 14.) a few words upon the marrnagement of dairy proF