PEOGRESSIVE AGRICULTURE. 237 



the first written history of agricultural implements ; and I 

 suppose we may consider the earliest to be that of the Greek 

 writer Hesiod, between seven and eight hundred years before 

 Christ. He describes the plow very minutely, and he also 

 gives us, after the Greek style, something of its origin. 



You know the Greeks had legends to account for almost 

 everything, and among them was one as to the origin of the 

 plow. The daughter of Saturn and Rhea — the goddess 

 and guardian of agriculture — was Ceres, who needs no in- 

 troduction to an audience so largely of The Grange. Ceres 

 had a daughter, Proserpine, a likely maiden, and it is easily 

 understood that while duly considerate and affectionate, the 

 worthy goddess looked forward with great satisfaction to the 

 time when her daughter should relieve her from household 

 cares. But like so many mothers, Ceres was doomed to dis- 

 appointment. One day while Proserpine was gathering flow- 

 ers in the fields of Enna, Pluto came and carried her away 

 to be the queen of the lower regions. Ceres was disconso- 

 late over the loss of her daughter, and vainly wandered about 

 in search of her, and neglected her duties ; so the harvests 

 fiiiled and the earth was in dano^er of becomino; barren. 

 Jupiter and all the gods besought her to give up the search 

 and return to Olympus ; but she would not. Finally the gods 

 succeeded in persuading Pluto to allow Proserpine to revisit 

 the upper world and remain with her mother two-thirds of 

 the year, or during the growing season, and then she was to 

 spend the winter with her husband in — a warmer climate. 

 Ceres was appeased by this arrangement, and consented 

 to return to Olympus. She was then in Eleusis, and before 

 leaving, as a parting gift to her host, Triptolemus, she 

 taught him the art of agriculture. Triptolemus learned fast, 

 and under the inspiration of Ceres he invented the plow. 

 So that we have the plow represented as, indirectly, the gift 

 of the goddess Ceres. 



Now, whatever reliance may be placed upon a legend 

 existing in those days, there is no doubt of the reverence 

 which the ancients paid to all of their mythological gods and 

 to all the things which they regarded as gifts from them ; and 

 I think we may fairly suppose that the fact that the ancient. 

 Greeks and Romans, believing that the plow was a gift from 



