Chapter 15

51 “I come now to the pleasures of farmers, in which I take an extraordinary delight. Old age never hinders them, and to my mind they come closest to the wise man’s life. For farmers deal with the earth, which never rejects their rule and never returns what it receives without interest, sometimes less, but usually a greater yield. Yet it is not the harvest alone that delights me, but the earth’s own power and nature. When its softened, cultivated lap receives the scattered seed, it first hides and covers it—hence the name ‘harrowing’ for the work that conceals it. Then, warmed by its breath and pressure, the earth opens the seed and draws from it the green growth. Supported by the fibers of its roots, this gradually rises, lifting itself upon a jointed stalk and enclosed in sheaths as though coming to maturity. Emerging from them, it brings forth grain arranged in the order of an ear, protected against the bites of little birds by a palisade of awns.”

52 “Why should I describe the origin, planting, and growth of vines? I cannot have my fill of delight in them—so you may understand the solace and pleasure of my old age. I pass over the very power of all that springs from the earth: from so tiny a fig seed, a grape pip, or the smallest seeds of other crops and plants, it produces such mighty trunks and branches. Do not hammer-shaped cuttings, slips, shoots, rooted plants, and layers fill anyone with wonder and delight? The vine, naturally inclined to fall, sinks to the ground unless supported; yet to raise itself it grasps whatever it finds with tendrils like hands. As it creeps through many winding, wandering courses, the farmer’s skill checks it with the pruning knife, lest it run wild with shoots and spread too extravagantly in every direction.”

53 “So, at the beginning of spring, what is called the bud appears, as it were, at the joints of the shoots that have been left. From it the young grape emerges, growing with the earth’s sap and the sun’s warmth. At first it is very sharp to the taste; then it ripens and grows sweet. Clothed in vine leaves, it neither lacks a gentle warmth nor suffers the sun’s excessive blaze. What could be more pleasing in its fruit or more beautiful to see?

“As I said before, it is not its usefulness alone that delights me, but its cultivation and its very nature: the rows of props, the joining of their tops by crossbars, the tying and layering of vines, the pruning away of some shoots, as I mentioned, and the letting out of others.

“Why should I bring up irrigation, digging, and trenching the soil afresh, by which the earth becomes so much more fruitful? Why speak of the usefulness of manure? I have discussed it in the book I wrote on farming.”

54 “The learned Hesiod, however, did not say a single word about it when he wrote on agriculture. But Homer, who I believe lived many centuries earlier, depicts Laertes easing his longing for his son by cultivating and manuring his land. Nor do crops, meadows, vineyards, and trees trained with vines alone make country life rich: there are gardens and orchards too, pasturing flocks, swarms of bees, and flowers of every kind. Not only planting gives pleasure, but grafting as well; agriculture has discovered nothing more ingenious.”

51 “I turn now to the pleasures of farming, which give me an incredible amount of enjoyment. No degree of old age prevents them, and they seem to me to come very close to the life of a wise person. Farmers deal with the earth, which never refuses their commands and never returns what it has received without interest. Sometimes the interest is smaller, but usually it is larger. Yet it is not just the harvest that delights me. I also enjoy the power and nature of the earth itself. When its lap has been softened and worked, it receives the scattered seed. First it holds the seed hidden out of sight. This hiding gives the Latin word for harrowing its name, since harrowing does this work. Then the earth warms the seed with its heat and pressure, opens it up, and draws green growth out of it. Supported by its root fibers, this growth gradually develops. It rises on a jointed stalk and is enclosed in sheaths, as if it were coming into its youth. Once it emerges from them, it produces grain arranged in the orderly rows of an ear. A fence of bristles protects it against the pecking of smaller birds.”

52 “Why should I describe how vines start, how they are planted, and how they grow? I can never get enough of this pleasure, and I want you to understand what gives my old age rest and enjoyment. I pass over the sheer power of everything that grows from the earth. From a tiny fig seed, a grape seed, or the very small seeds of other crops and plants, it produces such great trunks and branches. Cuttings with a piece of old wood attached, young plants, vine shoots, rooted cuttings, and layered shoots—surely these can fill anyone with wonder and delight? A vine naturally tends to fall and sinks to the ground unless it has support. Yet to raise itself, it wraps its tendrils like hands around whatever it finds. As it creeps along, twisting and wandering in many directions, the farmer’s skill checks it by cutting it back with a knife. This keeps it from growing wild with shoots and spreading too far in every direction.”

53 “So, at the beginning of spring, something called a bud appears on the shoots that have been left, at what we might call their joints. From this bud the developing grape cluster shows itself. Fed by moisture from the earth and warmth from the sun, it grows. At first it tastes very sour; then, as it ripens, it becomes sweet. Covered by vine leaves, it receives enough warmth while being protected from the sun’s excessive heat. What could be more delightful to eat or more beautiful to look at?

“As I said before, it is not just the vine’s usefulness that delights me. I also enjoy its cultivation and its very nature: the rows of supports, the crossbars joining their tops, the tying up and layering of the vines, and the pruning I mentioned, in which some shoots are cut away and others are allowed to grow.

“Why should I describe irrigation, digging the soil, and digging it over again, which make the earth much more productive? Why speak of the value of spreading manure? I discussed it in the book I wrote about farming.”

54 “Learned Hesiod did not say a single word about this when he wrote about cultivating the land. But Homer, who I think lived many centuries earlier, presents Laertes easing his longing for his son by working the land and spreading manure on it. And it is not just grainfields, meadows, vineyards, and trees trained with vines that make country life delightful. There are also gardens and orchards, grazing flocks, swarms of bees, and flowers of every kind. Nor is planting the only pleasure. There is also grafting, the cleverest practice farming has discovered.”