Part I. ORIGIN, &c. OF AGRICULTURE. 3 



With this purpose in view, agriculture is here considered, in 



Part Book 



I. As to its origin, progress, and CI. Among ancient and modern nations. 



present state, (.2. Under different geographical, piiysical, and political circumstances. 



The study of the vegetable kingdom. 

 The study of the animal kingdom. 

 As a science founded on -^ 3. The study of the mineral kingdom and the atmosphere. 



The study of the mechanical agents employed in agriculture. 

 The study of the operations of agriculture. 

 "1. The valuation, purchase, and transfer of landed property. 



2. The laying out, or general arrangement, of landed property. 



3. The improvement of culturable lands. 



4. The management of landed estates. 



5. The selection, hiring, and stocking of farms. 



6. The culture of farm lands. 



7. The economy of live stock, and the dairy. 



IV. Statistically in Britain, ' [I l^to IS KreVr*^gress. ; 



A Kalendarial Index to those parts of the work which treat of culture and management, points out 

 the operations as they are to be performed in the order of time and of the season : and 



A General Index explains the technical terms of agriculture, the abbreviations here made use of, and 

 presents an analysis of the whole work in alphabetical, as the Table of Contents does in systematic, order. 



III. As an art comprehending 



PART L 



AGRICULTURE CONSIDERED AS TO ITS ORIGIN, PROGRESS, 

 AND PRESENT STATE, AMONG DIFFERENT NATIONS, GOVERN- 

 MENTS, AND CLIMATES. 



1. The history of Agriculture may be considered chronologically, or in connection 

 with that of the different nations who have successively flourished in the different parts 

 of the world ; politically, as influenced by the different forms of government which have 

 prevailed ; geographically, as affected by different climates ; and physically, as influenced 

 by the characters of the earth's surface. The first kind of history is useful, by displaying 

 the relative situation of different countries as to agriculture ; instructive, as enabling 

 us to contrast our present situation with that of other nations and former times ; and 

 curious, as discovering the route by which agriculture has passed from primitive ages and 

 countries to our own. The political and geographical history of the art derives its value 

 from pointing out causes, favorable and unfavorable to improvement ; and countries and 

 climates favorable qr unfavorable to particular kinds of cultivation and management. 



; BOOK L 



HIST0R7 OF AGRICULTURE AMONG ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 



2, Traditional history traces man back to the time of the deluge. After that catastfoplie, 

 of which the greater part of the earth's surface bears evidence, man seems to have re- 

 covered himself (in our hemisphere at least) in the central parts of Asia, and to have 

 first attained to eminence in arts and government, on the alluvial plains of the Nile. 

 Egypt colonised Greece, Carthage, and some other places on the Mediterranean sea ; 

 and thus the Greeks received their arts from the Egyptians, afterwards the Romans from 

 the Greeks, and finally the rest of Europe from the Romans. Such is the route by 

 which agriculture is traced to our part of the world ; how it may have reached the 

 eastern countries of India and China, is less certain ; though from the great antiquity of 

 their inhabitants and governments, it appears highly probable that arts and civilisation 

 were either coeval there, or, if not, that they travelled to the east fully more rapidly than 

 they did to the west. 



S. Jlie early history of man in America rests on very indistinct traditions : there artn 

 and civilisation do not seem of equal antiquity as in Asia ; in North America they are 



*B 2 



