Techniques to Fertilize the Soil in Rome: The Treatises De agri cultura
Keywords:
agriculture, fertilization, manureAbstract
The aim of this paper is to explore the techniques used by the Romans to fertilize the soil between the 3rd century B.C., when Cato wrote his De agri cultura, and the 4th century A.C, when Palladius lived, our last reference to agricultural matters. The works by Cato, Varro, Columella and Palladius are just an account of Romans’ customs regarding basic aspects of their lives such as the fertilization of the soil. From the symbiosis between agriculture and livestock emerges the reality seen in these authors to explain how different types of manure are prepared, organized and applied.
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