FIELD CROPS 

 IN SOUTH AFRICA 



CHAPTER I 

 HISTORICAL AND GENERAL SURVEY 



Field Husbandry, Agronomy and Phytotechny are 

 synonyms used to denote that branch of agriculture which 

 treats of the theory and the practice of the production of 

 crops. The Chinese saying, " Public prosperity is like a tree ; 

 agriculture is its roots ; industry and commerce are its branches 

 and leaves. If the root suffers the leaves fall, the branches 

 break and the tree dies," is as true to-day as it was centuries 

 ago. On account of its importance to the welfare of humanity 

 a brief review of the development of field husbandry and its 

 present status is not unwarranted. 



Early Evolution. — Excepting the very recently developed 

 countries , the embryonic stage of agriculture has presented a 

 development along very similar lines in the various parts of 

 the world. Even the pioneer farming of to-day, as found 

 in parts of Africa, South America and elsewhere, has certain 

 features showing very little advance over that of twenty 

 centuries ago. 



During the early history of a tribe and of the compara- 

 tively younger pioneer communities, ^he growing of food crops 

 on cultivated J[and was seldom the_&stdevelbpment^^^^^^ 

 Allowed only when' t~be~ returns 7rom hunting," filing, and the 

 ga;t^herrng"of wildTruits and roo^s were no longer sufficiently 

 stabte or plentiful to supply the needs of a growing population. 

 In most cases the domestication and herding of animals with- 

 out the cultivation of crops followed this phase; in some, e.g., 

 the Eed Indian, who, before the advent of Europeans had 

 domesticated onlv the turkev and the dog, the agricultural 



