“qui cultus sit habendo pecori”
Translation: what kind of care is proper for the management of a herd?
I need a grammatical commentary on this line, with special attention to “sit habendo pecori”
Quid faciat laetas segetes, quo sidere terram
vertere, Maecenas, ulmisque adiungere vitis
conveniat, quae cura boum, qui cultus habendo
sit pecori, apibus quanta experientia parcis,
hinc canere incipiam.
It’s an indirect interrogative depending on canere, habendo pecori= to have a herd. Habendo is the dative gerundive.
It’s just one of the whole series of indirect questions that kicks off the Georgics. For the use of the gerundive cf. e.g. 2.397 labor curandis vitibus alter “the other work for taking care of vines.”
Many thanks to bedwere & mwh. Very helpful.
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