CONTENTS 



CHAP. PAGE 



1. PRIMITIVE TILLERS OF THE GROUND . . 1 



2. RECLAIMING THE DESERT . . . .13 



3. SOME CONTRASTS . . . . .27 



4. THE BEGINNINGS OF AGRICULTURE . . 37 



5. THE SPREADING OF FOOD-PLANTS . . .50 



6. THE SPREADING OF FOOD-PLANTS (continued] . 63 



7. OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES THE DATE AND 



THE FIG ....... 76 



8. INTRODUCING DATES INTO NORTH AMERICA . 89 



9. THE STORY OF THE SMYRNA FIG . . .102 



10. FOOD AND FOOD-PLANTS . . . .115 



11. THE CHIEF KINDS OF FOOD-PLANTS . . 127 



12. IMPROVING CULTIVATED PLANTS . . .140 



13. EXPERIMENTS IN PLANT-BREEDING . . .152 



vii 



