Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-01-02

be driven away on the approach OF an enemy.
What little is known of the agriculture of the |
fifth century was gained from the remains of |
letters and works of art, which have been
found in the ruins of churches and other re-
ligious houses. The barbarian seemed to
have some reveration for the church, or at
least superstition prevented them from invad-
ing the sanctity of such places. Many OF
these religious institutions acquired much
property from grants by successful warriors
built costly mansions and chapels; and the
inmates lived in ease and plenty. The lands
were cultivated by servants under the direc-
ton of the priests, who got their information
from the writings of the old Roman agricult
wrists. Agriculture was carried on under
these circumstances for about ten centuries,
when by the efforts Of the lay proprietors it
began TO revive throughout Europe. The re-
vival and developments OF the tillase of the
soil from the 6fth century of our era to the
seventeenth century constitutes the agriculture
of the middle ages. Weshall notice the progress
and practices of sgiculturein Italy, Germany,
France and England, they being the most
highly civilized countries in Europe at that
time. What little is known of agricult-
ure in Italy before the thirteenth century was
mostly gained from the writings of Crescen-
zio, a Senator Of Bologna. These works were
written at that time, but were not published
until 1873 Grescenzio's writings on agricult-
ure were quickly followed by numerous other
works on the same subject; and it was not
long before the Italians had numerous au-
thorities on agricultural practices.
IRRIGATION
Was carried on extensively in Italy, it is
thought. even previously to the year 1887.
TIE Monks of Chiarevalle had formed extern
sive water works, and by so doing gained
such notoriety that they were employed as
hydraulic engineers. Silkworms were i'm
ported into Sicily from Greece In about the
year LAG; but they did not extend to the
continental states for many years. Up to the
middle OF the fourteenth century the Italians
were ignorant of the proper cultivation Of the
grape; they had just begun to wear shirts;
and no trading was done with England except
BY the Flerentines.
The work of CIescenzio, which spoke Of.
was mainly compilation from Roman
writings but an edition was published In
1915, which was illustrated with figures and
drawings, and which gives good idea OF the
tools and practices in uss during the latter
part Of the1niddie ages. Flows are described
which were drawn with one, two or four
oxen. Drivers were employed, as well as
plowmen, from which it appears that the
plowmen were not so expert as those of the
Romans, who employed no drivers Wagons
are described with wooden aXles and. with
wheels sometimes of one piece and again
made of four Descriptions are given OF
knives, scythes, grating tools, ETC., with the
methods of use. Grain was sowed by hand,
| just as was done by the Romans, and as is
| done yet by many people. Carvers' hand
tools, and in fact most of the implements
| treated of by Piiny as among the Romans,
were described by Creseenzio. Until early IN
the sixteenth century the Italians were
sunk in sloth, overrun with pride and pow
| erty, and lost TO every sense of civil duty"
but in 1854 Pope Sixtus forced his subjects to
work, in order TO pay the heavy taxes which
he had imposed upon them. By this inter
position on the part of the Pope they were
raised from the lowest depths of poverty and
sEiftlessness to plenty and regularity.
THE BEST LANDS
| Were in Sicily, and here it was the practice
to crop with corn every two years and to fall
low the intervening ones; even then the re-
turns seemed not TO have exceeded ten fold.
This state of things is much the same in
Sicily at the present time. The greatest i'm.
provements in agriculture in Italy during
the middle ages took place in Lombardy and
| Tuscany.
In Tuscany the culture of the vine and
olive was carried to higher perfection than In
any other country in Europe. Lombardy
was famed for corn and cattle, and her butter,
cheese and beef were esteemed the best in
Italy.
The pastures of Lombardy were very rich
| in sell, and tine climate was so temperate that
the grass grew all winter There was also an
abundant supply of water for irrigation.
These natural conditions easily account for
the tabled productions of the pastures of
Lombardy. Irrigation in L)nbardy was
begun by the Romans, and WAS increased
and extended by the religious establishments,
and later on by the kings OF Lombardy.
Crescenzio gives a picture of farmhouse
of Lombsrdy, which differs from the best
modern ones in Italy only 10 having a
| matched roof
France was conquered in the fifth century
by the Goths, Vandals and Franks. The
first two of these nations claimed two-thirds
| of the land The claim Of the Franks is
uncertain. What is known of the agriculture
of these nations and of France up TO the
ninth century has been derived from the
study of the laws of the Franks. The
Goths, Vandals and Franks were all favor
able to the cultivation of the soil but the
Franks treated the conquered people with
more consideration than did either of the
other two nations. In these old laws which
we spoke of, horses we're mentioned, and q
distinction was made between the farm and
the war horse. The forests and commons
formed sort of
| COMMUNITY PASTURE GROUNDS
For horses, cattle and sheep. Bells were
tied around the necks of some of the animals
in each herd SO as to facilitate the finding of
them. Charlenagne in the ninth century
paid considerable attention to, and encour-
aged the cultivation of, vines and orchards.
He planted much of the crown lands in diff
ferent parts of the country In vines, and
Issued particular directions as to the care
| IL flr-
harassed during the ninth and tenth centuries
by civil wars and as q consequence agrieult-
ure declined during that time This loss was
more than reeained during the two following
centuries. In the eleventh and twelfth
centuries the church took q good part
Of the land under its supervision, and
published several canons for the protection
of agriculture. Windmills for grinding
corn were introduced in the thirteenth
century. During the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries France suffered greatly from the
invasions of the English. These wars again
greatly weakened agriculture, and to make
matters still worse, it was further hampered
| by political regulations in regard to the ex-
portation and market price of corn. The first
agricultural work published in France made
its appearance at about the middle OF the six
teenth century. 1t was written by potter
who had written considerable on other sub
| JnCss- Ii Was up VI No w GU
nomic farming and husbandry. Toward the
end of the sixteenth century, during the reign
of Henry W, considerable enterprise was
displayed. Many canals were projected and
one begun; and according to Sully, the
French Minister, " France in his time
abounded with corn, grain, pulse, wine, cider,
fax, hemp salt, wool, oil, dyeing drugs, cat
| tie, great and small, and everything else,
whether necessary or convenient tor life. both
for home consum ption and for expectation"
! Up to the eleventh century the nations north
of the Danube and Rhine were almost contis-
ually engaged in making war on their south
ern neighhors, and at the same time were
also almost continually ct war with one an
other. Under such circumstances
THE CONDITION OF AGRICULTURE
| Could not have been increased for the better,
and it is not surprising that in some cases it
refrigerated. There are exceptional cases in
which agriculture increased somewhat, but as
a general thing it differed SO little from that
of the previous epoch as to need no notice
here.
The first German treatise on agriculture
was published soon after the year 1916. 1t lis
compilation from most of the agricultural
works preceding it, and contains but little in
! formation in regard to the practices of the
farmers of its own time. About the middle
| OF the sixteenth century the Elector of Sax