California Agriculturist 



ATftH 



Vol. 8— No. 1.} 



SAN JOSE AND SAN FRANCISCO, CAL,,, JANUARY, 1817. 



I ^UBt^:nIn•ION Prick, Sl.GOaYear. 

 I 2>iut'k- Copieti, 15 Outfi, 



ANCIENT AND MODERN AGRI- 

 CULTURE. 



BY JOHN CHAMBERLAIN. 



The history of agriculture is pre-emi- 

 nently an interesting and instructive 

 study, since upon this great industry the 

 prosperity of society has mainly rested 

 from the remotest times. 



From evidence furnished by the anti- 

 quarian and geologist we conclude that 

 man in his primitive state lived by the 

 chase, and with his rude stone weapons 

 disputed the dominion of the earth with 

 monstrous beasts. 



We know very little concerning the 

 vast period of time which elapsed be- 

 tween that and the hieroglyphical age, 

 for science, the great magician, has not 

 yet succeeded in opening this charmed 

 volume of the world's history, and the 

 origin of agriculture is therefore un- 

 known. At the earliest dates of which 

 we have any information, transmitted by 

 pen, or chisel and hammer, agriculture 

 was already in an advanced and flourish- 

 ing state. As far as we know it had its 

 origin in the valleys of the Nile, Euphra- 

 tes and Tigris, which were jirobaly dense- 

 ly populated more than a thousand years 

 belore Joseph became Pharoah's minis- 

 ter of agriculture. Upon the ancient 

 tombs and monuments of Egypt inscrip- 

 tions and paintings, apparently as dis- 

 tinct as ever, represent rural scenes not 

 unlike modern ones. Villas are depicted, 

 surrounded by cultivated gardens and 

 fields, irrigated by means of canals and 

 reservoirs. Laborers are seen plowing 

 with oxen, others harrowing, while oth- 

 ers miike the surface of the field smooth 

 and compact with rollers. We judge 

 from these inscriptions that the Egyp- 

 tians had as complete and intelligent a 

 system of agriculture, under the dynasty 

 of Merus, 5000 years ago, as they pos- 

 sess to-day; nor is the fact true of the 

 Egyptians only, for good authorities aver 

 that no material improvement over the 

 ancient methods and processes was m«de 

 until about the beginning of the 18th 

 century. When Egypt was a province of 

 the Roman Empire, she sent twenty mil- 

 lion bushels of wheat to Home annually. 

 Phny mentions that thirty-four stalks 

 were grown from one seed inMycias and 

 sent to the Emperor Nero. Speaking of 

 the soil, the same author remarks that 

 when dry it was so stiff it could not be 

 plowed by the strongest oxen; but when 

 softened by rain he had seen it opened 

 by a wretchd ass on the one side and an 

 old woman on the other. 



Agriculture wns not esteemed a very 

 honorable pursuit by the dominant 

 classes of the ancient Greeks, and was 

 chiefly carried on by the lower orders, 

 who were descended from the original 

 proprietors of the soil. 



The Romans on the contrary were an 

 agricultural people, and Roman noble- 

 men, scholars, philosophers and poets, 

 1 delighted in agricultural pursuits and 

 rural pastimes. Distinguished Roman 

 families took the names of favorite plants 

 or cereals, as the Sentuli, Fabii, etc. 

 Wherever the Romans extended their 



oonriuests they introduced their excellent 

 sjstem of agriculture, traces of which 

 can now be seen in nearly every country 

 in Europe, and, indeed, in southern Ita- 

 ly, agriculture if anything has degene- 

 rated since the days when Virgil and 

 Varro wrote and sau:,' of all the husband- 

 man's toils and pleasures, and the? boun- 

 ty of Ceres. Kut the Romans degene- 

 rated. Latterly the chief supjilies sent 

 to Rome from her provinces were the 

 product of slave labor, the more power- 

 ful |)atrician faiiiiliis having seized in 

 many instances, and acquired by fr md 

 in others, the provincial lands which 

 they worked with slaves. 



The free husbandman, deinivi'd of 

 his few acres allotted to him under the 

 law, became a mere retainer or depend- 

 ent of his powerful landlord. The agra- 

 rian laws designed to prevent or break 

 up such an unjust monopoly becauie a 

 dead letter; and thus by injustice, fraud 

 and violence an easy way was prepsired 

 tor the vandal and barbarian. "The free 

 husbandman had no longer any interest 

 in a state or government which could not 

 or would not secure him his rii^hts. 

 Robbed at once of his lands and ind*-- 

 pendence, his patriotism had neither soil 

 nor nuuiishiueiit, and died; lor the home 

 of patriotism is imt in the political club, 

 nor cabinet, nor legislature, but by the 

 firesides of freemen. After the barba- 

 rians ovenau Euro|>e agriculture rapidly 

 declined, and with one exception did not 

 begin to recover until about the 17th 

 century. The exception was in the case 

 of Spain after her subjugation by the 

 Saracen, who established an extensive 

 system of irigation. and so developed 

 the agricultural resources of Spain that 

 her annual revenues were raised to thir- 

 ty million dollars, a sum, says Gibbon, 

 which in the 10th century probably sur- 

 passed the united revenues of nil the 

 christian monarchs of Europe. We can 

 easily judge of the backward state of ag- 

 riculture in England, even as late as the 

 17th century, from the fact that up to 

 that time what are now common vegetji- 

 bles were imported to supply the royal 

 table. 



The first English book on agriculture 

 was published in 15-23, by Fitzherbert, 

 and entitled the "Boke of Husbandiie." 

 It was followed by "Five Hundred 

 Points in Good Husbandrie." in dog- 

 gerel verse, and after that by the "Whole 

 Xvt of Husbandrie," by Harnaby Googe. 

 Says a good authority, "The experiments 

 and writings of Jelhro TuU in the early 

 part of the ISth century are among the 

 first important attempts in r<al progress 

 in modern agriculture." Tull invented 

 the horse hoe and drill husbandry in 

 England, also the threshing machine, 

 according to some authorities. 



Tull was followed by .\rthur Young, 

 to whom the world is greatly indebted 

 for the spread of agricultural knowledge. 

 He was born in 1741. He travelled ex- 

 tensively and observed closely, and es- 

 tablished among other facts the value of 

 common salt as a manure, besides mak- 

 ing valuable experiments to ascertain the 

 efl'ect of the sun's rays on soil. The 

 most important movement, however, in 



favor of agriculture, about that time, 

 took pla(te in 17'JJ, by the org.inizati<m 

 of the Board of Agriculture in England. 

 Encouraged by this body, Sir Hum- 

 phrey Davey began his celebrated inve-- 

 ti'.^alioii8. He siiow. d how plants, soils 

 and MianureK could be analized, and ma- 

 nur< s Keleeted which woulil furnish the 

 elem. Ills, ami made experiments with 

 amiiiouia, spi cimeiis of guan-i, etc. 



The ancient iuii>lcmeiits ot agri<ultur. 

 among the Greeks. Egyptians ami Ro 

 mans were tli liarroA-, hoe, roller, 

 plow, etc. 



A plow similar to the modern one wa- 

 uled iu Greece one tiioiisand years B. C. 

 In Egypt th • shadoof and Persi.m vheel 

 have bein us' d in agriculluri- for five 

 thou-.aud years. Duiiiig the last half 

 century aLjriciilture his advjiueed to th^ 

 rank of a science. Chemistry tells us 

 how to select and renew soils, steam 

 plows tear up the prairie and plain, and 

 sieam is employed to thresh our annual 

 millions of bushels, while labor-saving 

 machines are multiplying so rapiilly that 

 the name "field lai)i>rer" may become a 

 misnomer. 



cL'i.Ti'BlsT an indispensable companion 

 and relerence la)ok for the farmer, gar- 

 dener, orchardist, stock grower, poultry 

 raiser, and f.imily. wet or dry, and es- 

 pecially "if it doesn't rain." 



Numerous En uiries are made about 

 the young man, Hamilton, who once 

 ciinviisscd for the Cal. AonictTi.TrnisT, 

 ind wh'i lias later published the Journal 

 iif Edur/ilini,, in .San Juse. He is a first 

 class bilk. He •'.■ friuded the publishers 

 .f the Aoi I cltcr:st out of between $30 

 .ml $10. and »u o-lievc that he started 

 his .Jnuriint of Kilacilion on purpose to 

 defraud til" jienple. Many who have 

 paid subscriptions, have not received a 

 paper. Riiwell's yucn/Mptr HepotUrr an- 

 nounces its suspension. Hamilton's real 

 uauie is .said to be O Grady. We advise 

 our read' rs to have nothing to do wiih 

 him. 



"If it doesn't rain,"— Well, what 



then? It beg;ns to look serii'Us, as we 

 go to press. N<J rain yet to ilo any goovi, 

 to start grain or nourish its growth. 



For the last two years we predicted dry 

 seasons, but got wet ones. We made the 

 prediction on the ground that, according 

 to records, about once iu a decade there 

 are two or three dry seasons in succes- 

 sion. Look at 18G'2, '63, and'G4. Since 

 then we have had very good seasons, and 

 may expect a heavy dose of dry when the 

 dry seasons do come again. 



.\s we insisted last tail that farmers 

 shiuild hold their wheat for 2 cts. before 

 selling, we now say: hold on to your 

 wheat at any price, if you can afford to. 

 Don't sell it till yon know whether it 

 will rain enough to bring another crop. 

 If it doesn't you will do a nice thing to 

 hold, for it will all be needed at home. 

 If it does rain it will still be worth a fair 

 price, as it cannot lower in price much 

 before another cro]i is harvested. 



If it doesn't rain to bring a crop, sum- 

 mer fallow every acre of land that you 

 can. Get rid of all surplus stock, sell or 

 kill the animals of least value, and save 

 the best young stock and best breeders 

 only. Husband your straw and hay 

 carefully. The wise farmer has two or 

 three years' straw stacked and <m hand, 

 to carry his stock thr^nigh a dry season. 



Prepare to irrigate with windmills and 

 em^ines, and cultivate a small jilace any- 

 how, to such products as will grow the 

 most needed food to the acre. It is time 

 to begin to prepare for the werst, al- 

 though the best may be hoped for. 



Now one piece of advice iu which we 

 are specially interested. Whether it is 

 wet or dry, renew your subscriptions to 

 the Califoknia AoBicuxiritisT, and we 

 promise to give you such a fund of val- 

 uable information on all most needed 

 points as will pay yon ten times over. 

 We are interested in making the Agbi- 



The Spirited Center Piece, in first 



page .1.' ii.ver, engraved by our special 

 artist, is chsracteristic of the times. It 

 illustrates at uuce the work of the sen- 

 son, the sort of a team that is the most 

 profitable for farmers to raise and nse, 

 and that the agriculturist of the present 

 ilay has an easi. r time with his modem 

 gang, wh'-re he can riile and direct the 

 work, than the old-time plowman at his 

 plowtiil. f'onlrast that picture with 

 this, and be th mkful that you live in an 

 age of mechanical as well as agricultural 

 improvement. 



A Grand Barbacue was given hist 



monili at UenyeMiji aiHiricl.foiir miles east of 

 S»ui Jese, l»y the Helllurs : a rejoicing over the 

 lill.d tiefeat of a lio;;ilij .Mexican lallii claim 

 lI'Bl hail liee 1 liHULiim; over ibeui for many 

 iiiaiiy yeani There were many liunies of wel- 

 der* ill ili^pule imw rendered peaceful by a 

 JM8i ilei'lKioii cif (I c Suprenie Court. Half a 

 iiiitlinn dollars woi'tli of real estate was iu- 

 volvetl. ill H true! reachin^r fruni the euiniuitof 

 ilie nieiinlaiuB caKi to the river limning the 

 city lands. We were there mid feasted with 

 the itoimI )>C4tple nil ihe (lecaaioa, and rejoiced 

 I Willi li.em with a j'tyfnl heart. 



Pumpkin Flour.— The .\lden Fruit 

 Drying Co., of San Jose, have this sea- 

 son made a quantity of pumpkin flonr. 

 The jnimkin or sqnash is first dried and 

 then ;;round fine. This preparation is 

 certainly very excellent for pies, pud- 

 dings, mixing with bread, and for kitchen 

 use iu many ways. Try it once and you 

 will want more. 



Wheat Cuiture. in a dry season, 

 should be adapted to the necessities of 

 the occasion. Thin sowing, not over 50 

 pounds to the acre, and very thorough 

 surface tillage, should be the mle. 



Errata. — in our article on orcharding 

 last mouth the peach called "George 

 4th" should read "George's Cling." 



