INTRODUCTION

This volume contains Books XVII, XVIII, XIX, of Pliny’s Naturalis Historia Natural History. Book XVII continues the subject of arboriculture the cultivation of trees, begun in the preceding Books; Book XVIII deals with cereal agriculture; Book XIX with the cultivation of flax and other plants used for fabrics, and with vegetable gardening.

Pliny’s own outline of the contents given in Book I will be found in Volume I, pp. 80–91.

At the time of his death, Mr. Rackham was engaged in work on the galley proofs of this volume. With the exception of some parts which were re-written by Prof. E. H. Warmington, the translation is Mr. Rackham’s work. Note that there is an Index of plants at the end of Vol. VII.