The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-01-18

are only few whose works have been pre-
served. "No man, says Xenophon, " car
be farmer, till he is taught by experience
Observation and instruction may do much
but pnccicc teaches many particulars, which
no master could ever have thought to re
mark upon"
Turning now to Rome, we find that agri
culture was as much honored there, as in
Greece, being regarded as one of the nobles'
occupations Of man. That was the agC
when the highest praise, that could be be
slowed upon man, was to call him good
farmer. lie was thought To be highly hon
ord, who was 30 commended. "The earth
took pleasure" says Pliny, "m being titled
by the hands of men, crowned with laurels
and decorated with triumphal honOr."
Four hundred and ffty-ninc years before
Christ the farmer Cincinnatus left his plow
to Dictatorship, amidst the shouts and exul-
tation of Rome; raised an army and con-
quered powerful enemy; and, at the end
of sixteen days, returned to his little farm
and resumed his work. 50 with many other
men distinguished in Roman history.
The most common crop among the Ro-
mans was wheat, but they also nised rye,
barley, oats, fax, lupines, millet, peas, beans
and turnips. Much ground was devoted to
the cultivation Of the grape and the olive
also.
The tersc and sensible maxims of the Ro-
man agricultural writers are worthy of re-
mark, and many Of them will he found us
applicable to US, as to those for whom they
were written. "Whatis good tillage?" asks
Cato, the great Orator, Politician and Cen
eral. "To plow" he answers. "What
Is the second point2 To plow The third
is to manure. AS to the rest, SOW abund-
antly, select your seed carefully, and keep
the crop free from weeds through the sea-
son."
Nature says varro, has shown two
paths which lead to knowledge of farming
experience and imitation. Farmers, hith-
erto, by experiments have established many
maxims and their pOsterity generally initiate
them: but make experiments ourselves, not
directed by chance but by reason In the
collection and preparation of manures the
Romans seem to have excelled, and there is
no doubt il was made prominent subject OF
study among them. The cxcrcmcnts Of birds
were held in the highest esteem, and the ut
most care was taken to preserve and apply
them judieiously. a compost hoop was
built near the house, in the form of bowl
to retain the water from the sink and the
wash from the house, protected by cover
ing Of brush or shrubs, and the manure Of
the stable and barn-yard was allowed to re
main and fermcnt year before being ap-
piled. a top dressing of guano, or the ma
nure of birds ground fine, was thought to
have u wonderful effect in reyiying sickly
crop, and il was often applied to wheat
They hoed and stirred the soil frequently
about growing crops, and horse-hoeing was
not very uncommon. Wheat was sometimes
fed off, when young, to benefit the crop.
1t is stated by Pliny that four hundred
stalks of wheat, all grown from one seed,
were sent to the emperor Augustus; and at
another time, three hundred and forty to
the emperor Nero, from Byzantium, in Afri-
Gu, and the statement made Of the soil was
that "when dry, the strongest oxen cannot
plOw il, but after rain, Ihave seen it open
cd by share drawn bya wretched AS on
the one side and an old woman on the other.
Not very strong team" one would sup
pose, for modern subsoil plow.
Special attention was paid to the plant
ing Of trees to protect cultivated fields from
high winds and storms, practice much
needed with us, since the indiscriminatc de-
struction Of forest trees in New England
b" Men should plant while young" says PHI
ny, " and not build till their fields are plan
ted, and even then, they should take time to
consider, and not be in too great haste. 1t
is best, as the provcrb says, "proft by the
folly of Others" This advice should lead
us, at least, to give more attention to the
planting of orchards and fruit trees.
Great attention was paid to the breeding
Of fine stock, particularly oxen, horses, sheep
and goats, though their scale Of points
would seem to be open to many objections
from the modern breeder, for Palladius says
that " bulls should be tall, with very large
limbs, Of a medium age, rather young than
old, Of n stern look, small horns, a bnwny
and huge neck, and confined belly" The
points which Columclla gives for cows, how
ever, show much careful and discriminating
observation and Judgment, for he says
they should he of "a tall make, lodg, with
very broad head, eyes black and open, horns
graceful, smooth and black, hairy cars,
straight jaws, very large dewlap and tail,
and moderate hoofs and legs"
Columclla prescribes a very peculiar and
curious treatment of oxen, in the following
words -" Aftcr oxen get through plowing,
and come home heated and tired, they must
have little wine poured down their threats,
and, after being fed little, led out to drink,
and if they will not drink, the boy must
whistle To make them"
Virgil says the breeders of horses and OK
en-, should pay special attention to the build
OF the male, and that she should he large in
all her parts. In selecting oxen for work,
varro says they should have "spacious
horns, rather black than otherwise, broad
forehead, wide nOstrils, broad chest, and
thick dewlap."
In modern times, England first claims our
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