tI, Boox I. AGRICULTURE OF THE ROMANS. 29 rever operations of the Jews and Greeks on the one hand, and from the practices of modern tered times on the other.
S not
than Surnsect. 6. Of the Crops cultivated, and Animals reared by the Romans.
ay be 148. The cereal grasses cultivated by the Romans were chiefly the ¢riticum or wheat, the f the far, or Indian corn(Zea), and the hordewm or barley: but they sowed also the silzgo or llows, rye, the holcus or millet, the panic grass(Panicum miliaceum), and the avena or oat. tains 149. Of legumes they cultivated the faba or bean, the piswm or pea, the lupinus or ‘0 Tun lupin, the ervwm or tare, the lens or flat-tare(Lathyrus cicera) 5 the chickling vetch(La- nade a thyrus sativis); the chick or mouse pea(Cicer arietinum); and the kidney bean(Phaseolus). uation The bean was used as food for the servants or slaves; the others were grown principally €Xs, Or for food to the laboring cattle.
ow the 150. The sesamum, or oily grain(Sesamum Orientale, L.)
tended(fig. 18.) was cultivated for the seeds from which an oil was
loss is expressed, and used as a substitute for that of olives, as it
still is in India and China; and as the oil of the poppy is
‘orn for in Holland, that of the walnut in Savoy, and of the hemp
id then in Russia.
mm and 151. The herbage plants were chiefly the trifoliwm or clover,
Us, Was the medic or lucern, and the cytissus. What the latter plant
) flower is, has not been distinctly ascertained. They cultivated also
pasture the ocymum and faerum grecum, with several others, which
from the descriptions left of them cannot now be identified.
essential The napus or turnip, and rapa or rape, were much esteemed - surface and carefully cultivated. Pliny says,‘‘ they require a dry
springs, soil; that the rapa will grow almost any where; that it is nou- 0 as the rished by mists, hoar-frosts and cold, and that he has seen some e directs of them upwards of forty pounds weight. The napus,”’ he. ‘eet wide’ says,‘ delights equally in colds, which make it both sweeter
and larger, while by heat they grow to leaves.” He adds, ‘the more diligent husbandmen plough five times for the napus, four times for the rapa, and apply dung to both.””(Nat. Hist. xviii. cap. 13.) Palladius recommends soot and
s, placed pen and
aspecting
by fe]....-.
ype made oil as a remedy against flies and snails, in the culture of the napus andrapa. While the peace: turnips were growing, it appears persons were not much restricted from pulling them,
An Columella observes, that in his time, the more religious husbandmen still observed an half full ancient custom, mentioned by Varro as being recorded by Demetrius,a Greek. This was, that while sowing them they prayed they might grow both for themselves and neighbours. Pliny says the sower was naked.
152. Of crops used in the arts may be mentioned the flax, the sesamum, already men- tioned, and the poppy; the two latter were grown for their seeds, which were bruised for oil.
153. Theligneous crops were willows, both for basketmaking, and as ties and poles for olives and vines. Copse wood was grown in some places for fuel; but chiefly in natural woods, which were periodically cut.‘Timber was also procured from the natural forests, which were abundant both of oak, elm, beech, pine, and larix. hese, and 154. The fruit trees cultivated extensively, were the vine and the Varro de. olive. The fig was grown in gardens and orchards, and also the ge, and pear; and in the gardens of the wealthy were found most fruits
. Varro rees, that want the | gardens, ime; but casts, and
‘ch of the in present use, with the exception of the pine apple, the goose-Q#;
dykes and berry, and perhaps the orange, though the lemon seems to have’?:
tags been know in Palladius’ time. The vine was supported by Ht y
{in view. elms or poplars(fig. 19.), or tied to different sorts of trellises, MACS
) summer(fig. 20.), as in Italy at the present day. Hi H fi
oxen and 155. Such are the principal field crops of Roman agriculture’<—==* i ree as ON nber trees from which, and from the list of cultivated vegetables given by Pliny, it appears they had d for tm- most plants and trees now in use, with the exception of the 20
pen seeds, potatoe, and one or two others of less consequence.
h as pro- 156. Of animals reared, the quadrupeds were of the same kinds
f they are now in use; and to the common sorts of poultry they added
thrushes, larks, peacocks, and turtle doves; they also reared
; were Se- snails, dormice, bees, and fish. The care of the poultry was chiefly
sre put in committed to the wife of the farmer or bailiff; and it was chiefly
e plucked near Rome and Naples where the more delicate birds were ex-
uising, or tensively reared. When Rome was at her greatest height in the time of the Cesars, the ro directs minor articles of farm produce bore a very high price. Varro informs us, that“ fat birds, ysician.” such as thrushes, black-birds,&c., were sold at two shillings, and sometimes 5000 of times. them were sold in a year from one farm.(Var. lib. iii. cap. 2.) Pea-fowls were sold at ‘ot fail to IJ. 13s. 4d.; an egg was sold at 3s. 4d. A farm sometimes produced as many of these
the rural