(V) Never plough rotten land[30] nor drive flocks or carts across it.

If care is not taken about this, the land so abused will be barren for three years.

Of manure

(V) Plan to have a big compost heap and take the best of care of the manure.  When it is hauled out see that it is well rotted and spread.  The Autumn is the time to do this.

(XXXVII) You can make manure of litter, lupine straw, chaff, bean stalks, husks and the leaves of ilex and of oak.[31]

(XXX) Fold your sheep on the land which you are about to seed, and there feed them leaves.[32]

Of soil improvement

(XXXVII) The things which are harmful to corn land are to plough the ground when it is rotten, and to plant chick peas which are harvested with the straw and are salt.  Barley, fenugreek and pulse all exhaust corn land, as well as all other things which are harvested with the straw.  Do not plant nut trees in the corn land.  On the other hand, lupines, field beans and vetch manure corn land.[33]

(VI) Where the soil is rich and fertile, without shade, there the corn land ought to be.  Where the land lies low, plant rape, millet, and panic grass.

Of forage crops

(VIII) If you have a water meadow you will not want forage, but if not then sow an upland meadow, so that hay may not be lacking.

(LIII) Save your hay when the times comes, and beware lest you mow too late.  Mow before the seed is ripe.  House the best hay by itself, so that you may feed it to the draft cattle during the spring ploughing, before the clover is mature.

(XXVII) Sow, for feed for the cattle, clover, vetch, fenugreek, field beans and pulse.  Sow these crops a second and a third time.

Of planting

(XXXIV) Wherever the land is cold and wet, sow there first, and last of all in the warmest places.

Of pastures

(L) Manure the pastures in early spring in the dark of the moon, when the west wind begins to blow.  When you close your pastures (to the stock) clean them and root out all weeds.

Of feeding live stock

(XXX) As long as they are available, feed green leaves of elm, poplar, oak and fig to your cattle and sheep.

(V) Store leaves, also, to be fed to the sheep before they have withered.[34]

(XXX) Take the best of care of your dry fodder, which you house for the winter, and remember always how long the winter may last.

(IV) Be sure you have well constructed stables furnished with substantial stalls and equipped with latticed feed racks.  The intervals between the bars of the racks should be one foot.  If you build them in this way, the cattle will not waste their food.