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Agiicola belongs the praifc of having refloreJ the Greek 

 learning to Germany, and of Inving contributed, in an 

 eminent degree, to the revival of literature and clalTieal 

 taile, in an age wliich required his exertions, and when 

 they were highly ufeful. Erafmus, in his Ada^ies, calls 

 him " a man truly divine." Bayle fays, that Italy, which 

 at that lime treated every thing as barbarous that was on 

 this fide the Alps, produced no genius comparable to what 

 I'riclla.-.d could boaR of in her Agrieola." A learned 

 Veneiian, in an epitaph, ranks Agrieola with the moll cele- 

 brated names of Greece and Rome. His works, of which 

 tlic principal is his treatife intitled, " De Inventione Dia- 

 leftica," were coUccled by Alard, in two volumes, 410, 

 and printed at Louvr.in, in 15 16 ; and by Occo, at Cologne, 

 in I J39. Gcii. Diol. 



AGRICULTURE, tlie fcience which explains the art 

 or means of cultivating and improving the earth or foil, fo as 

 to render it fertile and produftive. The term feenis to be 

 formed from the Latin words a^er,fic'lil, and cultura, ciikure, 

 or tHAigi-, from co/etr to //'//. 



The art of agriculture, in this view, coir.prchends the 

 nature of climale iwd Jli/, the metliods of pci forming the 

 different operations that are requilite in the cultivation 

 and improvement of arable and grafs lands, as inclofnig, 

 the making ot fences, as hiil^es, rlilchcs, wal/s, railings, 

 pailings, gates, ilrainiiig, paring, and burning, ivaliring, 

 ■zvarping, fallowing, ploughing, manuring, Juiinng, harronv- 

 ing, •rvfci/ing, hoeing ; the growing and prelerving of dii- 

 ierent forts of crops, as wheat, rye, barley, oals, beans, peas, 

 potatoes, turnips, carrots, rabbages, hops, hemp, flax, luoad, mad- 

 der, &c. ; and the railing of various kinds of feeds, as lape, 

 mujlard, &c. ; rotation of crops, reaping, moti'ing, jlachmg, 

 thrajliing ; the management of artificial and natural grades, 

 ;is clover, lucern, faintfoin, tares, 'vetches, &c. ; the converting 

 of arable lands to grafs, n::adoivs, pajlures, hay-mahing ; the 

 cultivating and prelerving of fruits, as apples, pears, cherries, 

 &c ; and tlie preparation of fruit liquors, as cyder, perry, 

 &c. ; orchards ; the planting of timber-trees, ivoodi, coppices, 

 plantations, &c. ; the inventing of implements, as ploughs, 

 harroivs, rollers, hues, drills, ivaggcns, car's, mills, lilns, &c. ; 

 the conftruftion of farm-buildings, as koufes, offices, Jtjeds, 

 cottages; the nature of _//i;-w.', tithes, L-afcs, &c. 



In a more extenfive fenfe it alfo includes the breeding, 

 rearing, feeding, and genera! management of all forts of 

 live ilock, as cattle, hoifs,jliecp, lambs, hogs, rabbits, poultry, 

 pigeons, bees, <Scc. ; the eondufting of the various procefles 

 and preparations which liave a relation to the different produfts 

 obtained from them, as mill:, butler, cheefe, or wlrat are gene- 

 rally termed co'w-heeping and dairying ; and lallly, as con- 

 netted with political economy, the conllrufiion of roads and 

 canals, the forming of entlankments, and the nature of lueights 

 and meafires. Full accounts and explanations of thcfe will 

 be given in the courfe of this work, under their refpettive heads. 



Gardening may likcwife be confidcred as an impiroi'ed 

 branch of agriculture. 



Among the Ancients the bufinefs of hufbandn' was fre- 

 quently Uiiderltood by the term Georgica, 



This uieful and impoitant art, though lefs fplendid than 

 many others, appears to have attracted the notice of man- 

 kind in the earheil peiiods of the world ; and this is not 

 indeed very extraordinary, when it is confidered that theex- 

 illence and profperity of them at fuch periods muft almoll 

 have folely depended upon it. In the carlieil ftage of fo- 

 ciety, men, as hunters, muft have foimd, from experience, 

 that the mode of procuring fubfiilencc by t!ie bow or the 

 chafe was attended with infinite toil as well as hazard, and 

 precarious in the event ; and therefore, not by any means 



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calculated to fupply the wants or increafe the comforts of 

 focial life. In the palloral Hate alfo, which may be re- 

 garded as the fecond llep in the advancement of fociety, 

 men mull foon have difcovred, that though more certain of 

 fubfiilencc, and lefs expofed to danger and hardffiips, their 

 herds and ilocks were liable to innumerable accidents, and 

 tliat tliey might at once be reduced to all the nuferics of 

 famine. — Under fuch circumflances and apprchenfions, it 

 was therefore natural for them to think of fome means by 

 which they miglit, with more certainty, procure the lie- 

 ceffaries of life. For this purpofe they would naturally tuin 

 their attention towards the earth, and difcovrr that from it 

 might be drawn whatever could render life comfortable. 

 Experience would likewife quickly inform them, that, by 

 due cultivation of the foil, fruits, and grain of various kinds, 

 fit for nouriflimtnt, might be prccured in abundr.nce ; but 

 that, by neglecting this art, the natural fertility of the foil, 

 the warmth of the fim, and the regular revolutions of the 

 feafons, would be in a great meafurc unavailing. 



What nray be termsd the art of hudxindry having com- 

 menced in this way, it is cafy to perceive that it mull have 

 been extremely fimple in thefe early ages, and its advances 

 towards perfection liow and almoll imperceptible. By moft 

 of the eallern nations agriculture feems to have been parti- 

 cularly attended to and encouraged from the inofl. early 

 periods. That the Japanefe were extremely intercfled in its 

 promotion is evinced by the great care taken in collefting and 

 preftrving all forts of man>u-es ; and among the Chincle it has 

 eonllanlly received the dillinguiihed regard and protection of 

 their princes and nobility, and been confidered as the mod ho- 

 nourable and important of all emjiloyments. The ufe of 

 the drill, which has but lately been introduced and adopted 

 in European countries, is faid to have been long known and 

 employed by them. 



The Chaldeans are foimd to have caniedthis valuable art 

 to a confiderable degree of advancement ; as they cultivated 

 their lands with great affiduity, and enjoyed the pleafnig 

 fatisfaftion of receiving from their fields plentiful harvefts. 

 The Egyptians alfo, who, from the fertility of their country, 

 caufed by the annual overflowings of the Nile, raifed pro- 

 digious quantities of corn, were fo fenfible of the blef- 

 fings refulting from agriculture, that they afcribed the in- 

 vention of it to Ofiris, and even canned tlieir fuperftitious 

 gratitude fo far, as to worlliip thofe animals that laboured 

 in tilling the ground. The Phoenicians were alfo famous for 

 their (Ivill in agriculture ; but finding themfelves too much 

 confined in theit native country, by the conquells of neigh- 

 bouring nations, they fpread themfelves through the greater 

 part of the iflands of the Mediterranean, and carried with 

 them their knowledge in hufbandry. The Carthaginians 

 following the talle of their anceilors, are faid to have applied 

 themfelves affiduoully to the iludy of agriculture. Mago, 

 their famous general, wrote no lels than tuenty-eight books 

 on that fubject, which Columella tells us were tran dated into 

 Latin by an exprefs decree of the Roman fenate ; and Ser- 

 vius adds, that Virgil ufed thele books as a model when lie 

 wrote his Georgics. The art of lowing corn, and the tillage 

 of land, were probably invented in Sicily ; as that ifland was 

 ver\- fruitful in corn, and agriculture was there eftcemed io 

 honourable an employment, that even their kings did not 

 difdain to practife it with tljeir own hands. The Athenians, 

 who were the firll people that received ar.y tinfture of politc- 

 nefs, taught the ufe of corn to the rell of theGrceks; they alfo 

 taught them the manner of cultivating the ground, and pre- 

 paring it for i'eed. The Greeks I'oou perceived that bread 

 was more wholefome, and its talle more delicate than acorns, 

 and accordingly thanked the gods for lucli an unc.xpefted 

 3 H 2 and 



