CHAPTER XXI 

 IMPORTANT FAMILIES OF PLANTS 



First Uses of Plants by Man. The origin and development 

 of agriculture are veiled in the mystery and tradition of the 

 early civilization of the human race. The early historical records 

 are incomplete and no one knows just when the different races 

 began the practice of agricultural methods. Traditions con- 

 nected with some plants tell us that they were introduced by 

 gods or by kings. It may be that the introduction of some plants 

 date from the reign of certain great monarchs, but in most cases 

 these traditions are of doubtful value. 



It is very probable that most, if not all, races of people were 

 more interested in war, hunting and fishing than in agriculture, 

 and that under these circumstances the beginnings of agriculture 

 must have been feeble, interrupted and obscure. The destruc- 

 tion and abandonment of growing crops by war or in the search 

 of better hunting grounds was not conducive to the advance- 

 ment of agriculture. 



Early agriculture must have developed very slowly, and as 

 a result of necessity, or because it made life easier for the 

 individual and the tribe. These early beginnings probably 

 originated in the gathering and storing of wild crops, followed 

 first by a protecting of these wild crops from the ravages of 

 wild animals and other tribes, then by the increasing of their 

 range by scattering seeds, and finally by cultivation. This last 

 step very naturally led to improvements in methods and the 

 selection of the most valuable plants. 



Our earliest records of agriculture concern Egypt and 

 China, but it is very likely that agriculture was practiced in 

 India and other parts of Asia as early as in China. There was 



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