Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-07-14

The Romans and Czzlbazenisna
WeFe laW FiTers. waTFipEs an1 aEEi-
cnlluristA The hfGhest clielaaE ard
wnETi0rs did not disdain the practt-
eel IahoEs Of the field. and TIE most
flIastrious names q Rome and Car
Ethnee priced themselves upon their
skill ID agriculture. Mayo, he Car
fhaaenian. vas called fatheF Of aEri-
lculEurAl literature. and was 20 Fec0
mixed b. Hesiod. The0phastas. Arn-
ophon. Gallo, Varr0. Virgil, GOllan-
Ella. Piipy and paliadfu8 This Ma-
70 was TIE founder Of the great Pa.
ale family from which Hannihal
spEang and lived Ia the time Of Oar
| iuz
Naeo. the Csrfhaeenian. Who
lived May hpndred years before The
Cbristian era. among bis Roiamiaoaa
woIk % agriculture, wrote On cattle.
His advice In buying working cattle
would be fully accepted today. The
young oxen which We bay should be
Square n their forms, large iimoea,
with strong. lofty and dark cotored
horns, broad and curly fronts. rough
ears, black eyes and lips. prominent
and expanded nrstriis, long and
6rawny neck, ample dew laps. pen
dart nearly 20 The knees vide
chest add large shoulders. Foomy
belIles, with well boned ribs, broad
20 The loiR. with aatraight. level. or
even slightly depressed hack. round
hutfocks, straight and firm legs. BY
40 means Weak Ia The kDees. large
hools, and very long and bashy TAFT.
he body covered with thick short
hair of : Il soy col0r. and stactu
Corporis maIlissimol leaves 10 doubt
thai ne meant HAT they should be
very suft handlrrsr he evideatly
understood what We mean By the
word Touch or handling
Cato. who died $50 years before
the Chrislian era. clsims preeedence
e ffst Ia time and first In honor
among Roman writers on agFicul
lure. He was Q precise. II not =
aigh farmer, practical, and IN money
matlers what canny Scot would
call near" Piutarch lashes him
for besrtlessly recommending the
sale Of worn out slaves and oxen.
Cicero regarded the labors Of agri
culture las an ho or Of Princes and
The ornamenG and solaee Of old age.
Virgil, bora 20 years b e.. ia bis
descriptive agricultural writings was
precise and practical. He never al
iuwed the Imagination of the poet 10
clash with the art OF the husbandman
de has, however, been accused OF
borrowing more than 3 foundation
upon which 10 rear q poetic structure
possessing all the charms Of origina,
iiiy The Georgies are really 3
hand book OF ancient agriculture.
The modern Virgil has not yet be
gun 70 write. The first book treats
| Ut the proper cultivation Of the soil.
the second of how TO manage fruit
trees, the third Of horses and cattle
and the fourth on bees.
| Columelia, who was contemporary
with Christ. Il reputed TO have estab
lished MerinO sheep in Spain, but Il
IS probably due 10 the fact that 81
uncle Of the same name introduced
into his spanish focks rams iron
Africa, which are said TO have mucl
improved their fleeees. CoiumelIa
= spsniaTd, who lived about tp'
time Of the Christian era, was thl
author Of twelve Looks on agricul
J tHre- Two Of these were on bus
bandry and farm matters; three treal
ed OF the vine, the olive and orchard
J fruits; two on agricultural and dc
nestle animals; one on poultry; on
on bees. and three books related o
the duties OF the bailif and his wife
: wine yiRegar and other domestic pr
paratlons, and the kitchen garden.
Attilus Regulus, the Roman Gel
eral, kept q sharp eye on his farm I
home while pursuing bis conquei
with his leglons Ia Africa. At OF
: time, hearing that the bailif Of b
g estate Of four acres was dead an
his slave run away, sent to the Sci
: ale catalogue Of bis spades, rake
hoes and spuds, with q threat tina
II they did not take care OF his farm
ing tools and replace his bsiliff an
slave, he would return Immediate
3 home. The Senate took the hint, ~
bis farm of four acres" went on.
There were some big farms anon
the ancients. The Book of KIM
relates 81 a certain time Elisha va
Q blowing In bis field, himself with Ii
twelfth The Roman allotmeBt WI
one pillow to about sixty-two aud
!. half acres. According 60 this allo
nlent Elisha must have worked owe
one hundred acres OF pillow land.
team Of horses to sixty acres Is goo
work In our time
C0lumella is the author Of the max
; in that THE farm should be weake
than the farmer" This would seer
70 imply high farming.
The genius OF Carlhagenian cult
vation was 10 limit The size Of farms
and the same idea was held by Ia
Romans, who got their agriculture
knowledge from this source. ant
small farms then, - now were cult
waited the best
Cultivate little. cultivate well, il
a. old IS history. This, however
does not mean high CfAney) farming
Pliuy gives this as the general opiH
lon; "Nlhii minus expedire guam
agFam optime colere." Nothing
pays worse than high farming. ana
gives an instance OF rich man Wht
ruiaed himself By his prodigally ex
pensive outlay 10 farming. There
are many fancy farmers Of TO-DAY
who woald have done well to hav,
read PiiuY. The old Roman, how
ever, defends the aneients against
bad farming He uses the expressive.
bonus ma lis. well and. cheap, and
held that tenant farmer could Dr.
some things probably that The mas
ter living Al distance and hiring hli
labor could not do without ruin.