Background
Of the 12 books of his De re rustica (On Agriculture), written about a.d. 50, all but the tenth are in straightforward, simple prose. The tenth book, on gardening, composed in hexameters, is imitative of Vergil's Georgics. Concerned primarily with conditions in Italy, he dealt in a practical and comprehensive way with such agricultural topics as choice of land, maintenance of water supply, ploughing, manuring, care of vineyards, and culture of fruit trees. He discussed cattle, horses, sheep, goats, poultry, fish ponds, bees, and gardening, and also outlined the duties both of the farm manager and the manager's wife.