Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-11-26
AGRICULTURAL.
NJ rrgR PREPARED SPECIALLY FOR
TEE RECORD UEIoN."
The Romans as Agriculturists = Mound
building on the Sacramento
River-The Roaos.

the first writer on agricultural subjects bose
works appear in the Roman or Latin Ian
guage. We know Cato more as statesman
and moralist, but in his time he was IS much
distinguished as farmer and writer on prac-
teal agriculture as he was for his statesman
ship. He was the owner and cultivator OF
fve-acre farm, and $50 years before Christ
was the author Of an extensive work on rural
economy. This work was divided into loZ
chapters, and embraces and discusses almost
every subject relating to agriculture. Varro,
the historian and scholar. was also Roman
farmer. and followed Cato in his writings on
his favorite occupation. He was the author
of three books on husbandry. The first was
devoted to description of the different
kinds or qualities of soil and their adaptation
to different crops. The second discusses the
domestic animals, their uses; and the means
of their Improvement and his conclusions and
maxims on the subjects of interviewing, and
selections are abreast with the best writers on
these subjects of the present day. The third
book treats of the various adjuncts and ap-
purtenancfs calculated to render country
home pleasant and attractive to young and
old. Virgil, the greatest Latin author and
poet, was also practical and devoted farmer.
His Georges contain all that was to be known
at that time of rural occupations and sports,
and it wonld almost seem That we have
learned but little of rural life and practices in
eighteen hundred years that Virgil did not
teach US. sCelumella and Palladius were
also both agriculturists practically, and ex-
teasive writers on agricultural suhjscts Co
lumella wrote twelve books upon husbandry
and one upon trees, while Palladius is the
author of thirteen books on rural economy
and one upon grating. The Roman authors
embrace all the agricultural knowledge of the
Greeks, and much that had been learned by
practical experience by the authors and their
contemporary cuitivators. The Romans,
though enthusiastic on agricultural life, were
no less acquainted with its laborious necessi-
ties than we Of the present day. Virgil gives
emphatic utterance to the complaint of the
farmer of the present times in the following
Z" Pdte7. ipse coleadi hand fdciteae esSe
ziam yolb.t" {" Deity himself hath deter
mined that the path of the farmer shall not
be easy"), but he is also the author OF the
familiar maxim, " Labor onanlG r1nen' e. La
Dor conouers all things.") Columella gives
expression to one OF the most common and
familiar complaints of the present day in the
quotation, "When our worthy ancestors
esteemed it their glory to take care Of their
farming interests and to devote I'll nselves to
agriculture" Palladius was full OF trite and val
liable agricultural maxims, which are as good
at the present day as when that Roman scholar
and farmer penned them. " PrRSintta domtnt
procectus est dgri' {" The presence OF the
master profits the feld") is only another way
OF putting Franklin's maxim, Z" He that by
the plow would thrive must either hold or
drive" The Romans were even more careful
Ia the selection of their seed for wheat or
other crops than we are at the present
day, if we may judge by the crest
emphasis with which these distinguished men
gave directions on these subjects. Columella
Saws of saving wheat for seed: "The best
ears or heads should be selected at harvest
and separately thrashed. 1t must be after
wards cleaned with the sieve, and that part
of it which because of size and weight sub
sides and falls to the bottom of the sieve
must always be reserved for seed, for this is
of very great Importance, for without such
care the cereals degenerate" Virgil enforces
the same idea in the following quotation
ST have, nevertheless, seen seed long selected
and tested with great care degenerate, unless
the largest grains were culled annually by
hand, for thus it is fated that all things
should deteriorate and revert to their original
state" The Romans were also vefsed In
special fertilizers or means of Quickening and
sustaining rapid growth of plants, for Virgil
advises the stepping in warm water end soda
and lees of oil, in order to give vigor to the
young wheat plant. The Romans were well
Versed, also, in the matter of summer
following, or pulverizing and preparing
the soil by frequent blowing and cult
waiting. Columella recommends three plowlngs
for wheat and says winter wheat should be
sown in September or October that early
,1aoA ,.,,l1
tiller or stool more if sown early. Then he
says that water-furrows should be made, so
as 60 carry away the surface water into the
drains. The same author, in speaking of the
bare places found in the best of fields, recon-
mends draining and nanuring them and in
this he seems aiming his directions particu-
larly to California wheat-raisers, as we have
so many of these bare places, and thus far
have done so little to reclaim or fertIllze
them. Alfalfa. or lucern, was cultivated ex-
tensively by the Romans, and Columella and
Paladius both gave careful directions how to
SOW, cover and cultivate it. They were also
well yersed in blowing in green leguminous
plants to fertilize the soil. Columella says
"If the lupins, vetches. lentils. etc., are cut
down green and Immediately plowed under
before they are wilted, they fully supply the
place of barnyard manure" But he also says
that if these plants are allowed to mature and
make their seed they exhaust the soil, and
barnyard manure must be rssorted to to re.
store fertility. In looking over the list of
plants cultivated by the Romans, it would
seem that we have added but few important
items of general cultivation. They had of
fruits and nuts, the apple, pear. ounce, med
lar peach, plum, cherry, apricot, grape, fig,
pomeeranate, olive, citron, melon, black
berry, mulberry, service berry sorb, wal.
nut, filbert, Piscatio nut, chestnut, palm nut,
jujube, carob, etc. OF vegetables they had
the cabbage, kale, rape, turnip, radish, mus
tard, cress, spinach, nasturtium, onion, gar
lie, leak, parsnip, carrot, beet, olives, aspar-
agus, mallow, calscssia, moril, endive. GU
cumber, rhnbarb, artichoke. skirret, go,urd,
lettuce, celery, caper, chicory, eggplant,
ard thistle. In the Roman gardens were
also cultivated elecampane, savory, mint.
margoram, chervil, thyme, parsley, basil,
fennel, balm, anise, cumin, rue, dill, and
horehound. OF flowers they had the rose,
lily, crocus, violet, gillhower. marigold,
hyacinth, amaranth, pink, saffron, acacia,
wake-robin, rocket, bulbs, etc. OF the cereals
they cultivated wheat, rye, barley, oats,
and spelt. Of the le2uminous plants the
pea, chick pea, beans in great variety, vetch.
lupin, lentils, pulse, lucern and clover. OF
grasses, panic and several kinds of millet
Of fbrous plants, hemp and fax. The Ro-
mans had quite list of agricultural imple
ments,- but it is in this department we have
made the greatest advancement since the time
of the Roman Empire. They had what they
used as pillow, described by Virgil as having
a sharp share and two ears, or moldboards.
They had also pillow with share and single
ear, or moldboard, and pillow for light soils,
without moldboards. They had harrows.
rakes, hoes, grubbing-hoes. mattocks picks,
spades, sickles, scythes, forks, axes, saws,
knives, pruning-hooks, wagons, carts, etc.
The iron plow the mower, the reaper, the
haaJ 4 &hr,s 81, ao1,in hod no