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HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE.

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THOMAS MAY,

LIING the soil was men's primeval occn-
Adan, was the rst farmer.

a.on.

God

pt him into the garden of Eden "to dress and to keep it." Cain and Abel made the fit great division in agricultural labor, Cain filling t's ground, and bd keeping the sheep' which distinction, in kinds of work is kept up unto the present day. After the food, we read t. at Noah be came “a hisbandman, and planted a vi..eyard." The patriarchs also welt in tnt, and their propery consisted rdly in cattle, Locks and ner is. Lan1 at t'attire seems to have been cominon property, and every man pitche 1 his tent wherever ae please i, and

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HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE.

"None can describe the sweets of country life
But those blest men that do enjoy and taste them.
Plain husbandmen, though far below our pitch
Of fortune placed, enjoy a wealth above us.
They breathe the fresh and uncorrupted air,
And in pure homes enjoy untroubled sleep.
Their state is fearless and secure, enriched
With many blessings such as greatest kings
Might in true justice envy, and themselves
Would count too happy if they truly knew them."
-THOMAS MAY.

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ILLING the soil was man's primeval occupation. Adam was the first farmer. God put him into the garden of Eden "to dress and to keep it." Cain and Abel made the first great division in agricultural labor, Cain tilling the ground, and Abel keeping the sheep; which distinction in kinds of work is kept up unto the present day. After the flood, we read that Noah be came "a husbandman, and planted a vineyard." The patriarchs also dwelt in tents, and their property consisted mainly in cattle, flocks, and herds. Land at that time seems to have been common property, and every man pitched his tent wherever he pleased, and

moved about from place to place as often as he pleased. Egypt, called in Scripture the "Garden of the Lord," being yearly enriched by the overflowing of the Nile, early attracted the attention of the tillers of the soil. This country furnished a refuge from the terrible drouths which affected the pastures of Western Asia. As population centered on the banks of the Nile, agriculture rose in importance, but the progress was slow. The change from the state of nature, and from a wandering, pastoral life, must have been the work of ages. The nutritious qualities of the cereals, wheat, barley, etc., were a long time in being discovered, and, when known, these grains were cultivated in the rudest manner. They were sown on the rich deposit of mud made by the annual overflow of the river, and the only harrowing they received was done by a herd of swine trampling the seed into the ground. In Egypt, too, animal power was first applied to agriculture, but the plow, as delineated among the hieroglyphics on the ancient tombs, was an instrument much resembling our common picks.

IN GREECE.

From Egypt, agriculture as well as letters migrated to Greece. Here, in a soil by no means as congenial as that of Egypt, agriculture rose to a degree of perfection hitherto unknown, and here agricultural literature makes its first appearance. Hesiod, who lived a thousand years before Christ, in his homely poem, "Works and Days," gives a detailed description of a plow, consisting of beam, share, and handles. It must have been a clumsy, unwieldy instrument, for he

recommends that the plowman be forty years old

before he undertakes to handle it.

He says:

"Let a plowman yeared to forty, drive,

And see the careful husbandman fed

With plenteous morsels, and of wholesome bread."

There is no question but that in the palmy days of Greece, agriculture attained a high degree of perfection. Fine breeds of cattle and horses were raised, and extensive importations were made to improve the native stock. The use of manures was also well understood, which Pliny says was first taught by the old King Augeas. The compost heap was skilfully cared for, and everything added to it which could contribute to the fertility of the soil. Drainage was understood and practiced, and the swamps and marshes around Sparta were drained, and rendered tillable. Farm tools were greatly improved, and the land was thoroughly plowed, and even subsoiled by the aid of mules and oxen. The Greek farmers also enjoyed the luxury of fruits, and had apples, pears, quinces, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and figs. With good culture of the soil, good houses became also a necessity, and rural architecture was carried to a high degree of perfection, though their architects devoted their highest skill to the construction of temples and public buildings.

IN ROME.

With the march of empire westward, the march of agriculture took its way from Greece to Italy. The culture of the soil was a fundamental idea in the

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