; when less than a handbreadth, it is a sapling; when more
than a handbreadth, it is a tree." The words of Rabbi Simon.

Chapter II

1. "How long may men plough in a white(43) field on the eve of the
Sabbatical year?" "Till the productiveness ceases; so long as men usually
plough to plant cucumbers and gourds." Said R. Simon, "thou hast put the
law in every man's hand. But men may plough in a grain field till the
Passover, and in a field of trees till Pentecost."

2. Men may dung and dig among cucumbers and gourds till new year's day,
and they may also do so in a parched-up field. They may prune them, remove
their leaves, cover them with earth, and fumigate them, till new year's
day. R. Simon said, "one may even remove the leaf from the bunch of grapes
in the Sabbatical year."

3. Men may remove stones till new year's day. They may gather the ears,
they may break off branches, they may cut off the withered part till new
year's day. R. Joshua said, "as they may break off branches and cut off
the withered part of the fifth year, so also they may do it in the sixth
year." Rabbi Simon said, "every time I am permitted to work among the
trees, I am permitted to cut off the withered part."

4. Men may smear the saplings, and bind them, and cut them down, and make
sheds for them, and water them, till new year's day. R. Eleazar, the son
of Zadok, said, "one may even water the top of the branch in the
Sabbatical year, but not the root."

5. Men may anoint unripe fruits, and puncture(44) them, till new year's
day. Unripe fruit of the eve of the Sabbatical year which is just entering
on the Sabbatical year, and unripe fruit of the Sabbatical year which is
proceeding to the close of the Sabbatical year, they may neither anoint
nor puncture. Rabbi Jehudah said, "the place where it is customary to
anoint them, they may not anoint them, because that is work. The place
where it is not customary to anoint them, they may anoint them." R. Simon
"permitted it in trees because it is allowable in the usual culture of the
trees."

6. Men may not plant trees, make layers, or engraft them, on the eve of
the Sabbatical year, less than thirty days before new year's day. And if
one plant them, or make layers, or engraft them, they must be rooted out.
Rabbi Judah said, "every graft which does not cohere in three days has no
more cohesion." Rabbi Jose and R. Simon said "in two weeks."

7. Rice, and millet, and poppy, and simsim,(45) whi