Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-01-02
THE DAILY RECORD UNION,
OUINTUPLE EDITION.
IFor the New Years REcoRD-USIos,R
ANNALS OF AGRICULTURE
AS pRAcTIcED PREVIOUS TO THE SEW
EHgEEsTH CENTURY.
Chronological History of the Development
Of Neutrality-suspicious. Interest
ing Details.
LRy NJ. II. Durst. ]

[By NJ. H. Durst.l
The history Of agriculture may be considered
chronologically, politically, geographically or
physically. Chronologically, as practiced by
the different nations which existed during diff
ferent periods of the world politically, as in
huenced by the different forms of government
in vogue during those periods; geographically,
as affected by the different climates; and
physically, as affected by the different kinds
of soil. We viii confine ourselves to the re
view of some interesting details most init
mately connected with the chronological his
tory Of the development Of agriculture. H.
asmuch as the development of agriculture has
occupied the time of four epochs, we may say
that its history is divided into four parts.
First we have the antiquarian agriculture,
or that which was practicsd from the time of
the deluge to the establishment of the Roman
Empire about two centuries B. G. Secondly,
we have the agriculture of the Romans from
the second century B. C. to the fifth century
of our era. Third, is the history of agricult-
ure as practiced during the middle ages, or
from the fifth century of this era to the sew
enteenth. Fourth, we have the practices of
the agriculturists of the modern time, from
the seventeenth century to the present time.
The WORLD KNOWN TO THE ANcIENTs
Consisted only of about one-half of Asia and
small portions Of Africa and Europe. Ira
dition has it that during the deluge small
remnant Of man and other animals were saved
in the ark, which grounded on Mount Ararat,
near the Caspian sea- After the subsistence
of the waters they descended into the plains
of Assyria. Here they lived and multiplied
until, the population becoming somewhat
dense, it is presumed that they had an extern
sive family quarrel (which bad habit has been
handed down to posterity), and separated,
forming various nations The principal of
these were the Assyrian Empire, which con-
sisted of the Babylenians, Assyrians, Modes
and Persians the Jews and Egyptians, who
were mostly in Afrisa and the Greeks OF
Europe. OF these nations probably the least
is known of those races comprising the As
syrian Empire. OF the jews, more Is known
of their methods of gardening and domestic
economy than of their field culture. The
Egyptisns are undoubtedly the parent nation
of the arts and civilization, and if they were
not the first to practice agriculture they at
least excelled in it. 1t is for this reason that
we will consider first the practices of the ag
riculturists Of the Nile.
The practice # agriculture is supposed to
have originated from natural circumstances.
In the Tudsst state man probably lived on
roots and fruits. As his needs increased, and
he became aware of other palatable things to
be had for the getting he naturally took to
hunting and fishing. As he became better
acquainted with his surroundings, recognized
his dominion over the beasts of the earth, and
became aware of the wants which might be
supplied by them, ne began the domestication
and
ACCUMULATION OF CATTLE;
Aud here, though in an indirect way, we find
him gaining his sustenance by pasturage; by
gradual stages he found out the value of
grams, and the necessity of laying up store
of food for winter supply. Here originated
the gathering Of crops.
The tillage of the soil is supposed to have
originated from the observations of the efforts
of nature in producing plant life, and more
especially in connection with the effects pro-
duced by sedimentary deposits from rivers.
Although all rivers, to greater or less ex-
tent, deposit sediment during overflow, the
Nile exceeded all others both in the amount
and quality of this deposit, and in the regu-
three months, from the 1st of August to the
LIST of November, the valley of the Nile,
which was about seven or eight miles wide
and about two hundred long, was covered by
the waters of the Nile. It is without doubt
solely owing to this deposit left by the Nile
that the land maintained its fertility for go
long time. With this yearly fertilization
by the river. and the almost tropical climate
of Egypt, it is no wonder that the land OF
xha Dbaroaba banana the Of the
East.
1t was in Upper Egypt that the cultivation
of the soil is supposed to have been invented.
and in time to have proceeded down toward
the mouth Of the Nile. Upper Egypt con-
sisted of a valley few leagues wide,
bounded on each side by chain of noun
tains, and sloping gently toward the river
which runs through it. This inclination of
the land facilitated the running off of the
water, after the river began to recede, so that
In very short time after the subsiding of
the river the land was dry and in hit con-
dition to receive seeds, and was enriched by
a deposit of sediment which would fully
compensate the soil for the loss of the nutri-
tive substances taken from it by the yearly
crops. From the
SPONTANEOUS GROWTH OF PLANTS
After the rsceding of the Nile, it must have
been noticed by the natives that it was only
necessary TO scatter seeds and to cover them
by stirring the soil, in order for them to vege-
tate. They must soon, too, have found that
the crop was increased by keeping the land
clear Of weeds. At this time Lower Egypt
was a marsh formed by the dispositions from
the river, but IN few centuries it supplanted
the upper country in fertility; for there, in
the course of time, the yearly foundations of
the Nile failed to water sufficiently the upper
regions, and the people were compelled to
have recourse to artificial irrigation. The
inhabitants of Egypt were in advance of
their contemporaries in their methods OF agri-
culture. Embanking, irrigation and drain
age were practiced to 8 very considerable
extent History tells Of the extensive repairs
done to the canals and waterways during the
time of Sesostris. in the sixteenth aud seven
teenth centuries before Christ. During the
wet season all surplus water was inpounded
In natural and artificial reservoirs and by
means Of extensive systems Of canals it was
used TO irrigaie the ground during the sum-
mer. Use was made Of wheels turned by
oxen TO elevate water, and by this means
plateaus. and even hillsides, were thoroughly
irrigated. Almost every inland town had its
own water works. IN which was stored a sup
ply of water for domestic purposes. The
area of cultiyatsble soil has been greatly de-
creased by the eneroachment of the sand from
the desert. High embankments were built
buE most Of them have suceumbed, and are
now entirely buried under the sand The
mass OF the Egyptians were
TILLERs OF THE SOIL;
And until the eighteenth century B. G. the
farmer vas the virtual owner Of the land he
cultivated, but about that time the greater
part Of the land Was transferred to the Gov.
eminent, snd from then on, until as late as
the time of Noses sn annual rental of about
one-ffth was exacted by the king from the
husbandman. Little is known of the animal
and vegetable products of Egyptian agricult-
urs of this time. The OK seems to have been
the animal of burden. Rice was the princi-
nal grain cultivated, and the cultivation of
Egyptian corn was carried to greater perfec-
ton in Egypt than elsewhere. In early
times there was race prejudice against
wheat, beans and other economic products
but these gradually disappeared after years
of intercourse with other nations. It Is prob
able, as agriculture was first brought into no.
tice in Egypt, that the contemporary nations
and even the Greeks began by initiating the
practices of the Egyptians; however, little
is distinctly known of the origin Of agricult-
ure among these nations Of the agriculture
of the Jews the Old Testament gives pretty
good idea. Tbs land appears to have been
dividsd among tha dfffsrent trihaz IN ba nav