Res Rustica
Columella, Lucius Junius Moderatus
Columella. On agriculture, Volume 1-2. Ash, Harrison Boyd; Foster, Edward Seymour; Heffner, Edward H., editors. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1941.
Placet nostro poetae adoreum atque etiam triticum non ante seminare quam occiderint Vergiliae. Quod ipsum numeris sic edisserit: At si triticeam in messem robustaque farra Exercebis humum solisque instabis aristis, Ante tibi Eoae Atlantides abscondantur.
Absconduntur autem altero et tricesimo die post autumnale aequinoctium, quod fere conficitur VIIII Kal. Octobris; propter quod intellegi debet tritici satio dierum sex et quadraginta ab occasu Vergiliarum, qui fit ante diem nonum Kalendas Novembris ad brumae tempora. Sic enim servant prudentes agricolae, ut quindecim diebus prius quam conficiatur bruma, totidemque post eam confectam neque arent neque vitem aut arborem putent.Nos quoque [*](frigidis ocissime t. c. calidis novissime Schneider ex Catone 34, praeeunte Pontedera. ) [*](metamus SA et R pauci, vett. edd.: metamur R nonnulli: metemur vel metantur vel metam alii: sereremus (ait. re expunet. M) M et Cod. Bononiensis 2523: seramus Ald., Gesti., Schn.: iaciamus Lundstrōm. a The translation follows the MSS. and earliest editions, against seramus "sow" and iaciamus "cast" of more recent editors. Columella appears to be speaking of the harvest from the autumn sowing (cf. 9. 6, below; and Palladius, I. 34. 6), in which sowing the order would be reversed. b I.e. the Pleiades, seven daughters of Atlas, in the constellation Taurus. c Vergil, Georg. I. 219-221. d Sept. 23rd under the Julian Reform of 46 B.C.; but cf. circa VIII Kal. Oct. ( = Sept. 24) in IX. 14. 11. )