Georgics 2.47–72

Georg. 2.47Sponte suā quae sē tollunt in lūminis ōrās,
īnfēcunda quidem, sed laeta et fortia surgunt;Trees which raise themselves of their own accord into the borders of light rise unfruitful, indeed, but luxuriant and strong; Georg. 2.49quippe solō nātūra subest.for nature lies beneath in the soil. Georg. 2.49Tamen haec quoque, sī quis
50īnserat aut scrobibus mandet mūtāta subāctīs,
exuerint silvestrem animum cultūque frequentī
in quāscumque volēs artīs haud tarda sequentur.Yet these too, if one grafts them, or transplants them and entrusts them to well-worked trenches, will put off their wild spirit, and with frequent tending will follow readily into whatever arts you wish. Georg. 2.53Nec nōn et sterilis, quae stirpibus exit ab īmīs,
hoc faciat, vacuōs sī sit dīgesta per agrōs;So too the barren tree that springs from the lowest roots would do this, if it were set out across open fields; Georg. 2.55nunc altae frondēs et rāmī mātris opācant
crēscentīque adimunt fētūs ūruntque ferentem.as it is, the tall leaves and branches of its mother overshadow it, rob it of fruit as it grows, and scorch it as it bears. Georg. 2.57Iam quae sēminibus iactīs sē sustulit arbōs
tarda venit sērīs factūra nepōtibus umbram,
pōmaque dēgenerant sūcōs oblīta priōrēs
60et turpīs avibus praedam fert ūva racēmōs.Again, the tree that has raised itself from scattered seeds comes slowly, to make shade for late descendants, and its fruits degenerate, forgetting their former juices, and the vine bears shabby clusters, plunder for the birds.

Georg. 2.61Scīlicet omnibus est labor inpendendus et omnēs
cōgendae in sulcum ac multā mercēde domandae.Clearly on all of them labour must be spent, and all must be forced into the furrow and tamed at great cost. Georg. 2.63Sed truncīs oleae melius, prōpāgine vītēs
respondent, solidō Paphiae dē rōbore myrtus;But olives answer better from truncheons, vines from layers, the myrtles of Paphos from the solid wood; Georg. 2.65plantīs et dūrae corylī nāscuntur et ingēns
fraxinus Herculeaeque arbōs umbrōsa corōnae
Chaoniīque patris glandēs, etiam ardua palma
nāscitur et cāsūs abiēs vīsūra marīnōs.from suckers grow both the hard hazels and the huge ash, and the shady tree of Hercules' crown, and the acorns of the Chaonian father; so too grows the lofty palm, and the fir that is to see the perils of the sea. Georg. 2.69Īnseritur vērō et fētū nucis arbutus horrida,
70et sterilēs platanī mālōs gessēre valentīs;But the rough arbutus is grafted with a shoot of walnut, and barren planes have borne sturdy apples; Georg. 2.71castaneae fāgus, ornusque incānuit albō
flōre pirī glandemque suēs frēgēre sub ulmīs.the beech has borne the chestnut, the manna-ash has whitened with the pear's white blossom, and swine have crunched acorns beneath elms.