1871.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
13 
Primitive Agriculture. 
— — 
The fairs have been held, and probably there 
are few of our readers who have not attended 
one or more of them. They have seen all the 
new implements exhibited by enterprising 
manufacturers, and quite understand their mer- 
its. Mowers, reap- m 
ers, straw and fod- H 
der cutters, thrash- j 
ing machines, and 
even farm steam-en- 
gines have been in- 
spected, and each 
one, in the reader's 
mind, has been 
brought down to the 
inexorable — "Will it 
pay?" Now, while 
all these modern 
agricultural appli- 
ances are fresh in 
mind, may it not be 
well to look back 
and see how things 
■were done 3,000 
years ago? If we 
■would study the agri- 
culture of ancient 
Egypt, we have only 
to stud}' that of the 
Egypt of to-day, for 
except in the cul- 
ture of sugar-cane 
and some other products, where the govern- 
ment has interfered by introducing new pro- 
cesses, the ordinary operations of agriculture 
have not changed from the times of the Pharaohs. 
The two engravings which we give upon this 
page are copies from pictures by the celebrated 
Gerome. We cannot give in the black and 
white of an engraving the peculiar oriental atmos- 
phere so characteristic of Gerome's pictures. Ge- 
rome has the great merit of painting every thing 
just as he sees it, and all the minutest details are 
given. Take the subject of figure 1, which shows 
the primitive thrash- 
ing machine. The 
straw is laid in a 
circle, and the blind- 
ed oxen, held by 
the Egyptian, pass 
around and around, 
and thus tread out 
the grain. This is 
the way in which 
wheat was thrashed 
thousands of years 
ago, and the way in 
which it is done to- 
day. The picture is 
instructive as a mat- 
ter of history, but it 
is also interesting for 
its details. Look at 
the costume of the 
man, the bearing of 
the animals, and see 
if it is not a real 
picture of to-day, as 
the artist saw it. 
The second picture 
is called "The Straw 
Cutter." It seems to be a ponderous sledge, 
furnished with knives, for cutting straw,probably 
to make brick. We only know that the original 
by Gerome is called the " Hache Paille," which 
means the "straw cutter;" and that the original 
is, like other pictures by this artist, a faithful 
representation of what he saw of Egyptian 
agriculture. The plows, as well as the few 
other implements used by the Egyptians, are 
equally rude in design and make. It is hardly 
possible to conceive of a wide-awake American 
using just such an implement or machine as 
his grandfather did. He would improve them. 
Fig. 1. — TREADING OUT GRAIN IN EGYPT. 
Wintering Breeding Stock, 
- — > 
"There is nothing like the lee of a stock- 
yard to make them hardy" says the old school 
farmer. And he practises upon his theory, 
feeding out at least a third more hay than 
would be necessary in the barn. His cattle 
shiver, and grow thin at the stock-ya»d, but 
then they are hardy, for every one of them sur- 
vives the cold. They eat enormously, but who 
cares ? They eat hay and straw that the farmer 
did not pay for in money. " There is nothing 
-.—AN EGYPTIAN STB AW CUTTER. 
like pine boards for shelter," says the rural im- 
prover, who used to be a merchant on Broad- 
way, but now has a country-seat. He makes 
his barn proof against rats, water, and the winds. 
There is hardly a crack in it from cellar to roof. 
It is so warm that it hardly freezes in the cold- 
est weather. Here his cattle stand from No- 
vember to April, with very little exercise or 
sunshine. It is true that they grow fat on much 
less food than would support them at the stock- 
yard. But is it, on the whole, the best system 
for animals that are breeding? Horses, oxen 
and mules that are in daily use thrive on il. A 
gy large part of the 
farm stock, in the 
dairy regions at 
least, is made up of 
breeding animals. 
The cows are usu- 
ally with calf, and 
the best of the 
j heifers are to be 
raised to supply the 
waste of the herd, 
and for sale. We 
want in these ani- 
mals stamina, as well 
as flesh; and they 
must have plenty of 
fresh air and daily 
exercise to keep up 
that high physical 
condition, which is 
so necessary in a 
breeding animal. 
jESjjj Barns, no doubt, 
S may be so const met - 
a ^JB; ! ed as to give perfect 
=~~^= -"^ ventilation ; but they 
cannot give sunlight 
and exercise, and with or without barns, these 
must be provided, to have the best breeding condi- 
tion. If the model barn is used, there is great 
danger of sacrificing stamina to flesh and fat. 
Some tell us that milking cows can be kept, con- 
fined the year round, without injury. We do not 
believe this statement. It is not the natural 
condition of the bovine race. The flow of milk 
can be kept up for a long time in confinement, 
we have no doubt, but we should not want 
calves, bred under this system. We have tried 
the wintering of young cattle and cows under 
hovels, and, on the 
whole, prefer it to 
any other shelter for 
a herd, kept mainly 
for breeding pur- 
poses. A good deal 
depends, of course, 
upon the thorough 
construction of the 
hovel, or shed, and 
its exposure. For 
location, then, we 
want the south side 
of a hill; and if the 
hill is covered with 
wood, and the wood 
is evergreen, all the 
1 better. Make the 
hovels as tight as 
may be upon three 
.-ides, and partly 
enclose the fourth, 
which looks toward 
the south. The roof 
may be of boards or 
of poles, covered 
with sea-weed or 
straw. The only essential thing is that it 
shed rain. In the rear build cheap racks, to 
which the cattle may be tied. Any farmer can 
make this kind of shelterfor his cattle at a small 
cost. It is a good plan for saving manure; and 
for keeping up the health of breeding animals. 
