INDUSTRY, INVENTION, COMMERCE 



647 



ably their agricultural systems were more com- 

 plete. In Britian, the Romans made many 

 improvements during their 400 years of occupa- 

 tion; but the agriculture of the island was ex- 

 tremely rude even when they left it, by far the 

 the greater part being covered with forests and ] 

 mar-he-. Then the Saxons overran the coun- 

 try, subsisting mainly by the chase and by 

 keeping cattle, sheep, and especially swine, 

 which readily fatten on the mast of the oak and 

 h. In general, the only grains raised 

 wheat, barley, and oats, and they had but 

 small quantities of these. No hoed crops oft 

 edible vegetables were cultivated, and even as ; 

 as the reign of Henry VIII. Queen Catharine 

 obliged to send to Flanders or Holland for 

 salad. Neither Indian corn, potatoes, squashes, 

 >ts, cabbages, nor turnips were known in 

 land till after the beginning of the Sixteenth 

 iry. From that time to the present, the 

 gradual elevation of the middle and lower classes 

 "iitinued, and agriculture has steadily 

 advanced. The first work on agriculture pub- 

 i>h'.l in England was the "Boke of Husband- 

 rie." in 1523, by Sir Anthony Fitzherbert. 



The advance in the art and science of agricul- 

 ture in the United States during the last half 

 dozen years has been remarkable, and has had a 

 tremendous effect upon the nation's prosperity. 

 The total value of farm products in HM>7 ex- 

 ceeded $7,000,000,000, and in 1906, $6,800,000,- 

 000. The value of the products in 1906 was 

 eight per cent, greater than that of 1905, ten 

 per cent, over 1904, fifteen per cent, over 1903, 

 and forty-four per cent, over 1899. 



This marked progress is due to a number of 

 circumstances and conditions, chief of which are 

 our ^reat variety of soil and climate, superior 

 intelligence of the American farmer, improved 

 ,IKU hmery and implements, scientific education 

 in all branches of agriculture, and increased 

 pride of occupation. 



Among the chief improvements we may men- 

 tion deep plowing and thorough draining. By 

 the introduction of new or improved implements 

 the labor necessary to the carrying out of agri- 

 cult ural operations has been greatly diminished, 

 e, too, has been called in to act as the hand- 

 maid of art, and it is by the investigations of the 

 t that agriculture has been put on a 

 scientific basis. The organization of 

 plants, the primary elements of which they are 

 roni|M)sed, the food on which they live, and the 

 nm-titiient- MI" K>ila, have all been investigated, 

 and most important results obtained, particular- 

 ly in regard to manures and rotation-. Artificial 

 manures, in great variety, to supply tin elements 

 wanted for plant growth, have come into eom- 

 e, not only increasing the produce of lands 

 previously cultivated, but extending the limits 

 of cultivation itself. An improvement in all 

 I' stock is becoming more and more gen- 

 eral, feeding is conducted on more scientific pnn- 

 r.plev and improved varieties of plant s 



rops have been introduced. One of the 

 innovation* in the United States 

 introduction of the system of ensilage for pre- 

 serving fodder in a green state, which promise-, 

 e valuable results, tlumirh it has hardly 

 sted long enough to decide as to its value. 



As a result of the new conditions, to be a 

 thoroughly trained and competent agriculturist 

 requires a special education, partly theoretical 

 and partly practical. In particular, no scien- 

 tific cultivator can now be ignorant of agri- 

 cultural chemistry, which teaches the constit- 

 uents of the various plants grown as crops, 

 their relation to the various sous, the nature and 

 function of different manures, etc. In some 

 countries there are now agricultural schools or 

 colleges supported by the state. In the United 

 States nearly all the States have colleges, or 

 departments of colleges, devoted to the teaching 

 of agriculture, and Targe allotments of public 

 land have been made for their support. In 

 Germany such institutions are numerous and 

 highly efficient. For teaching agriculture prac- 

 tically model farms are commonly established. 

 In many countries, too, there is a ministry of 

 agriculture as one of the chief departments of 

 government. Our own Department of Agricul- 

 ture has achieved the foremost place in the 

 world, for its scientific work in practical hus- 

 bandry and its stimulating influence. 



AGRICULTURAL IMPLKMKXTS, VALUE OF, 

 LAST CENSUS REPORT 



South Dakota. 



Texa*. . 

 Utah. 



t. 



VirKiinn. 



k'tnn. . 



West VirKiiiin. 



ID. . 

 '*. . 



1,366,000 



