98                 Spanish Farmers

Rota is a very small town in Spain. It is famous for its fruits and vegetables. In particular, it is famous for its tomatoes and pumpkins.

One would think that the soil of this region must be very good. It must be very rich in order to grow such excellent tomatoes and pumpkins. But the soil is not good. It is poor. It is only sand and rock — nothing more. The winds of the ocean blow hard. They have carried away the good soil. They have left only sand in its place. There is also little water. The soil is dry and hard.

The farmers of this region have to work very hard. They work from morning till night. They dig wells wherever there is water. They carry water by hand to their gardens. They use anything and everything to make the soil a little richer around each plant. They cover the young plants with leaves. In this way they protect them from the sun and wind. They watch each plant carefully. They watch the plants which are not strong. They give these plants more water and more attention. They show the plants the same affection they show for their wives or children.

There is a proverb about Rota farmers: the farmer of Rota touches each tomato plant at least forty times a day.

   soil        土壤     region      区域, 地方 

   dig         掘, 挖     protect     保护 

   affection   情感     proverb     谚语     touch       触摸

                                 西班牙农民

  罗塔是一个很小的西班牙城镇。它以果蔬闻名，尤以番茄和南瓜最为出名。 

  人们会以为这个地方的土壤肯定很好。能产出如此优良的番茄和南瓜，这里的土地肯定极其肥沃。但是，这里的土壤并不好，土地很贫瘠，只有沙子和岩石——别无它物。海风强劲，吹走了良土，只剩下沙子留在原地。这里缺水，土地又干又硬。 

  此地的农民不得不非常辛勤地劳动。他们从早干到晚。他们在有水的地方挖井，提水到园地，用尽一切方法使作物周围的土更肥沃。他们拿叶子遮盖幼苗。这种方法可以保护幼苗免于日晒和风吹。他们关注每一株作物，密切观察着长得不壮的秧苗，给它们更多的水分和照料。他们像照料自己的妻子和孩子那样照料他们的农作物。 

  说起罗塔的农民，有句谚语是这样说的： 罗塔农民每天至少要触摸每一株番茄四十次。