The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1913-02-07

Continued from page ~

sticks and stones. We have
reason IT, believe that the
plants which she selected for
food, were those which yielded
the quickest returns regardless
of quality.
The first real agriculture of
importance dates back to 5000
Is. G. in the valley of the Nile.
1t was here on the soil that
inundated year after year. that
the people developed remark
able scale of agriculture. At
this time farming was consid.
cred among the most honorable
avocation. Grains, roots. fruits
and nuts were cultivated to a
high degree of perfection, and
this continued a great many
years. We do not. however.
attribute any of the improved
characteristics of our present
grains, to Egyptian origin. 1t
is certain that the agriculture
of the Nile Valley did not ex-
tend to, or affect directly other
countries in different climates.
1t did reach a high stage of
development, although the
work was probably done by
slaves or servants. As civiliza-
ton developed, the principle of
selecting plants for the quick
returns was carried out, as was
the case in the earliest times.
To illustrate, the wheat plant
was selected by primitive man
from the native wheat grass
similar to that which we have
growing wild in the Dakotas at
the present time. The work of
selection in this case was GER
tainly commendable but it is
not probable that the best
varities were always chosen,
even if those plants did form
the foundation upon which all
later improvement was made.
The next important period in
the history of agriculture is the
Roman. The word agricultural
is of Latin derivation. 1t comes
from 'ager' field, and "cul-
tura' cultivation, meaning
cultivation of the field. In
Latin literature one often
comes across references to rural
life. Alter the corruption at
Rome, some of the best poets
wrote about the comforts of
the simple country life and
lamented the facts that so
many had grown away from it.
From the very earliest times
when the armies we're away
fighting. and conquering ma
tions, the farmers were at
home, industriously cultivat-
ing their soil. This work was
sanctioned by the government
and improvements were made.
1t is not necessary to dwell up
on the influence of Rome upon
the continent of Europe and
indirectly even upon England
through the Norman conquest.
Undoubtedly some of the
methods used, and some of the
grains propogated were adopt
ed by nearly all European
countries, and handed down to
us by our foreign ancestors in
the early colonial days.
We all know what a struggle
these people had to gain a live
lihood from the ~rockyNewEng-
land soil. They succeeded only
by the help that they got from
the forest and by diligently
cultivating such plants as they
brought from Europe. But we
know that they did succeed,
and make possible the rapid
development of the United
States and the agriculture of
the present day.
During the year 1912 the
CnitedStates produced To, 433,-
600 bushels of wheat, 3, O16, ONO,-
COO bushels of corn, 4Ol. 600, 600
bushels of potatoes, and 974,-
600, OO pounds of tobacco, to
saw nothing about the other
grains, such as barley, rye,
oats, etc. There are twelve
bureaus in the Department of
Agriculture. each trying to ex-
tend it's work 50 as to affect
every farmer in the land.
The native plants which the
colonists found here were
tobacco, cotton. corn and pota-
toes. Practically all the other
crops we have came from Eu-
rope. AT this point two ques-
tons naturally arise. The
first is: Have the native species
been improved more than the
European? The answer is,