not practise religious observances, nor should she ask others to do so for her without the permission of the master or the mistress.  Remember that the master practises religion for the entire household.  She should be neat in appearance and should keep the house swept and garnished.  Every night before she goes to bed she should see that the hearth is swept and clean.  On the Kalends, the Ides, the Nones, and on all feast days, she should hang a garland over the hearth.  On those days also she should pray fervently to the household gods.  She should take care that she has food cooked for you and for the hands.  She should have plenty of chickens and an abundance of eggs.[29] She should diligently put up all kinds of preserves every year.

Of the hands

(LVI) The following are the customary allowances for food:  For the hands, four pecks of meal for the winter, and four and one-half for the summer.  For the overseer, the housekeeper, the wagoner, the shepherd, three pecks each.  For the slaves, four pounds of bread for the winter, but when they begin to cultivate the vines this is increased to five pounds until the figs are ripe, then return to four pounds.

(LVII) The sum of the wine allowed for each hand per annum is eight quadrantals, or Amphora, but add in the proportion as they do work.  Ten quadrantals per annum is not too much to allow them to drink.

(LVIII) Save the wind fall olives as much as possible as relishes for the hands.  Later set aside such of the ripe olives as will make the least oil.  Be careful to make them go as far as possible.  When the olives are all eaten, give them fish pickles and vinegar.  One peck of salt per annum is enough for each hand.

(LIX) Allow each hand a smock and a cloak every other year.  As often as you give out a smock or cloak to any one take up the old one, so that caps can be made out of it.  A pair of heavy wooden shoes should be allowed every other year.

Of draining

(XLIII) If the land is wet, it should be drained with trough shaped ditches dug three feet wide at the surface and one foot at the bottom and four feet deep.  Blind these ditches with rock.  If you have no rock then fill them with green willow poles braced crosswise.  If you have no poles, fill then with faggots.  Then dig lateral trenches three feet deep and four feet wide in such way that the water will flow from the trenches into the ditches.

(CLV) In the winter surface water should be drained off the fields.  On hillsides courses should be kept clear for the water to flow off.  During the rainy season at the beginning of Autumn is the greatest risk from water.  When it begins to rain all the hands should go out with picks and shovels and clear out the drains so that the water may flow off into the roads, and the crops be protected.

Of preparing the seed bed

(LXI) What is the first principle of good agriculture?  To plough well.  What is the second?  To plough again; and the third is to manure.  When you plough corn land, plough well and in good weather, lest you turn a cloddy furrow.  The other things of good agriculture are to sow seed plentifully, to thin the young sprouts, and to hill up the roots with earth.