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

70 AGRICULTURA. AGRICULTURA.
with unhesitating faith by almost every authority, recourse being had at the same time to a slight
that swarms might be produced by spontaneous fumigation. If distracted by sedition in conse,
generation from the putrescent carcase of an ox quence of the presence of two pretenders to the
(ex bubulo cospore putreftcto; and hence they were throne, the rivals were caught, examined, and the
commonly termed 3ooyblas by the poets, and by least promising put to death. In bad weather,
Archelaus f3obs (pOqsE'1rs 7re7rorTrl4Ea rEKva). those stricken down and disabled by cold or sudden
The early Romans placed the hives in niches, rain were tenderly collected, placed in a spot
hollowed out of the walls of the farm-house itself, warmed by artificial heat, and as they revived laid
tunder the shelter of the eaves (subter subgrundas), down before their hives. When the weather for
but in later times it became more common to form any length of time prevented them from going
a regular apiary (apiariumz, alvearium, mellariumr; abroad, they were fed upon honey and water, or
tEXL1TTopo0eEo0, EtsserLYV), sometimes so exten- upon figs boiled in must and pounded into a paste.
sive, as to yield 5000 pounds of honey in a season. The honey harvest (ozellatio, mellis vindemia,
This was a small enclosure in the immediate ccastratio alosrum, dies castrandi, ateAireoLas), acvicinity of the villa, in a warm and sheltered spot, cording to Varro, took place three times a year,
as little subject as possible to great variations of but more usually twice only, in June and October;
temperature, or to disturbances of any description on the first visitation four-fifths, at the second twofrom the elements or from animals; and carefully thirds of the honey was abstracted; but these proremoved from the influence of foetid exhalations, portions varied much according to the season. and
such as might proceed from baths, kitchens, stables, the strength of the particular hive. The system
dunghills, or the like. A supply of pure water was pursued was very simple: the moveable top was
provided, and plantations were formed of those taken off, or a door contrived in the side opened,
plants and flowers to which they weremost attached, the bees were driven away by a smoking apparatus,
especially the cytisus and thyme, the former as and the mellarius cut out with peculiarly formed
being conducive to the health of bees, the latter as knives as much of the contents as he thought fit.
affording the greatest quantity of honey (aptissinzeum The comb (fusvzs, crlpifov), which was the product
ad melificiumn). The yew was carefully avoided, of their industry, was composed of wax (cera, tcspbs)
not because in itself noxious to the swarm, but be- formed into hexagonal cells (sex angulis cella), the
cause the honey made from it was poisonous. (Sic geometrical advantages of which were soon dismea Cyrneas fugyiat examina.taxos.) The hives covered by mathematicians, containing for the most
(alvi, alvei, alvearia, Kvq'AaL), if stationary, were. part honey (mel, /u~A4), but also the more solid
built of brick (domicilia lateribus facta) or baked sweet substance commonly called bee-bread (produng (ex fimo), if moveable, and these were con- polis, 7rpfroAhs), the classical name being derived,
sidered the most convenient, were hollowed out of it is said, from the circumstance that it is found in
a solid block, or formed of boards, or of wicker greatest abundance near the entrance. The combs
work, or of bark, or of earthenware, the last being were cemented together, and the crevices in the
accounted the worst, because more easily affected hive daubed over with a glutinous gum, the erithace
by heat or cold, while those of cork -were accounted; (EpLOKbcs) of Varro and his Greek authorities,
best. They were perforated with two small holes which seems to be the same with what is elsefor the insects to pass in and out, were covered where termed nelligo (UeXiL'orya).
with moveable tops to enable the mellarius to in- Columella and Palladius describe ingenious plans
spect the interior, which was done three times a for getting possession of wild swarms (apes sylresmonth, in spring and summer, for the purpose of lres, feerae, rusticae, as opposed to urbanae, cicures)
removing any filth which might have accumulated, and Pliny notices the humble bees which conor any worms that might have found entrance; and structed their nests in the ground, but seems to
were, arranged, but not in contact, in rows one suppose that they were peculiar to a district in
above another, care being taken that there should Asia Minor. The marks which distinguish the
not be more than three rows in all,:and that the varieties of the domestic species will be found delowest row should rest upon a stomae parapet, ele- tailed by the different -authorities quoted below.
vated three feet from the ground, and coated with (Aristot. Hist. Anile. v. ix; Aelian. de Anign. i.
smooth stucco to prevent lizards, snakes, or other 59, 60, v. 10, 11; Var. ii. 5, iii 3, 16; Virg. Georq.
noxious animals from climbing up. iv.; Column. ix. 3. &c., xi. 2; Plin. I. N. xi. 5,
When the season for swarming arrived, the &c.; Pallad. i. 37-39, iv. 15, v. 8, vi. 10, vii. 7,
movements which indicated the approaching de- ix. 7, xi. 13, xii. 8.)
parture of a colony (examen) were watched un- Snails (cochleae). Certain species of snails were
remittingly, and when it was actually thrown off, favourite articles of food among the Romans, and
they were deterred from a long flight by casting were used also medicinally in diseases of the lungs
dust upon them, and by tinkling sounds, being and intestines. The kinds most prized were those
at the same time tempted to alight upon some from Reate, which were small and white'; those
neighbouring branch by rubbing it with balm from Africa of middling size, and very fruitful;
(apiastsumn, EsXo'0'pvAXXomv, s. sAEXLov, s. /ceXA- those called solitanae, also from Africa, larger than
bvAAoov), or anly sweet substance. When they the former; and those from Illyria, which were the
had all collected, they were quietly transferred to largest of all. The place where they were preserved
a hive similarly prepared, and if they showed any (cocllearimn) was sheltered from the sun, kept
disinclination to enter were urged on by surround- moist, and not covered over, nor walled in, but
ing them with a little smoke. surrounded by water, which prevented the escape
If quarrelsome, their pugnacity was repressed of the inmates who were very prolific, and required
by sprinkling them with honey water (nsella); if nothing except a few laurel leaves and a little
lazy, they were tempted out by placing the sweet- bran. They were fattened by shutting them up
smelling plants they most loved, chiefly apiastrum in a jar smeared with boiled must and flour, and
or thyme, in the immediate vicinity of the hive, perforated with holes to admit air. It has been