VFK History of Agriculture Quest

March 22, 2009
 March 23, 2009	
==Description==
With the melting of winter snow and the coming of Spring, many people's thoughts turn to planting seeds in the soil and growing a wide variety of beautiful flowers and nutritious plants. Since the time of early hunter/gatherers, people have planted crops and practiced agriculture. But, when did early peoples learn that they could grow crops for food? On today's quest, we will explore the history of some of the most important plants in the world from their origins to their current significance in the world.
===Prizes===
===Questions===
1. Before agriculture, early people lived by hunting local animals and gathering edible plants. As long as the herds were plentiful and the plants abundant, the people were well fed. However, if the herds migrated or moved on, the people had to move with them, likewise with edible plants. If people discovered plants that grew in a particular region, when going through that region, they could enjoy the plants. However, it is not entirely sure when and how people first discovered that if they scattered seeds, that they would grow into new plants. With the development of agriculture, people could settle and form villages. The first society in which people were primarily dependent on domesticated crops and livestock does not appear until when?
* about 10,000 years ago.
* about 6,000 years ago.
* about 15,000 years ago.
* about 4,000 years ago.
2. Different cereals and vegetables were domesticated very early (including barley, lentil, and peas) and evidence that Greece used wheat and some vegetables show that they knew of these crops by 6,000 B.C. Go to the garden which is outside the door of your Colonial Living Room and say this quote by Aristotle. Say: "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."
3. Wheat is one of the most ancient of the grains and is thought to have originated in southeastern Asia. It has played an important part in religious rituals in a number of cultures such as Greek, Sumerian, and Roman. Finnish mythology even had wheat gods and goddesses. Wheat was introduced to the New World in the late 1400's. Even though wheat was grown in America in colonial times, it was not until the late 1800's when a special hardy strain of wheat brought by Russian immigrants enabled wheat cultivation to flourish. What percentage of the earth's population is estimated to depend upon wheat for nourishment? 
* One quarter
* One half
* One eighth
* One third
4. Wheat has always had a number of advantages which have helped place it in such an important position in the world's food supply. It is stored without spoiling. It can be carried easily from one location to another. It is very versatile and can be prepared in many different ways. In addition, it can be traded for other goods and it is relatively easy to grow. Go to the medieval room with the fountain outside the castle and say this quote by Peter Rabbit's mother. Say: "You may go down to the garden."
5. Corn is another ancient grain that is not originally native to North America. It is a domesticated type of teosinte which is a wild grass from the Mexican western Sierra Madres. It has been estimated by scientists that corn was first domesticated around 3000-4000 B.C. and was widely cultivated in Mexico by 1400 BC. The word "maize" is believed to originate from the Taino people's word "mahis" which meant "source of life." Christopher Columbus discovered the Taino people on the islands in the Northern Antilles near San Salvador where he initially landed. Who introduced corn to Europe? 
* The Early American Settlers
* Pocahontas
* Columbus
* Cortez
6. In the West Indies, where Columbus first landed, the natives there gave him corn which he brought back to Spain. Corn spread quickly through Europe and then on to the rest of the world. Corn is one of the largest agricultural crops in the US. The production of corn is over twice that of any other agricultural crop. Corn is used in the production of rubber, fuel, plastics, clothing, additives to food and thousands of other ways and is the chief export crop of the US. Interestingly, over half of the corn crop is consumed by domestic livestock as feed. Go to the Australian map and say this quote by Rudyard Kipling, say: "Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade."
7. The origins of rice are believed to stem from around 3000 B.C. in India. Natives are thought to have discovered the plant in the wild and began to cultivate it. The grain which belongs to the grass family and needs a warm moist environment to thrive, is consumed by approximately half the world population and many countries are dependent upon rice as a staple food source. By medieval times, rice had spread to southern Europe. The story of the introduction of rice to America is interesting. It is said to have been carried on a ship which had been damaged by a storm and was harbored in Charleston, South Carolina. A small bag of rice was given to a farmer by the captain of the ship as a present. Today, rice is grown on every continent except which one?
* Asia
* South America
* Australia
* Antarctica
8. Most of the world's supply of rice comes from Asian farmers who account for just over ninety percent of the total rice production in the world. Throughout the world, there are thousands of types of rice including cultivated rice and wild rice. Rice seeds are referred to as "rough" which means that they still have their hull or husk on the grain. After the rice is milled, which removes its outer coating of bran, it is polished which gives it the white shiny exterior. Go to the back of the Sydney Opera House and say "Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle."
9. Cotton is so ancient that its origins are difficult to trace, however scientists have found cotton fibers and fragments of cotton bolls which date back to 7,000 years ago in Mexico. It is known also, that cotton has been grown in India for over 5,000 years and was also known by the ancient Chinese, Egyptians and Americans in both north and south America. Cotton was one of the earliest crops grown in colonial America and was planted by the European settlers at the Jamestown colony in 1607. By the time of the American Civil War in 1861-1865, cotton was the primary crop of the fertile southern states. What country was one of the largest customers for the South's cotton? 
* China
* France
* Mexico
* England
10. Cotton is a member of the plant family that includes okra and hibiscus. Commercially grown cotton can range from a small tree in Asia to a low multi-branched shrub which is grown as an annual. There are also the long fibered Egyptian and Sea Island cottons. These plants are produced from the Egyptian cotton species which were imported to the US around 1900. The unique climate of the Sea Islands which are located off the southeastern coast of the US as well as in the West Indies is well suited for cotton. The cotton grown in both areas has lustrous fibers longer than any other cotton and supports spinning into very fine yarn. Pima cotton, a hybrid of this Egyptian cotton is grown successfully in the southwestern US. Go to the outside of the Autumn Imports store in Victorian age and say an old Chinese Proverb. Say: "If you would be happy all your life, plant a garden."
===Answers===
1. about 6,000 years ago.
2. Go to the Backyard and say, "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."
3. One third
4. Go to the Castle Entrance and say, "You may go down to the garden."
5. Columbus
6. Go to the Australia map and say, "Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade."
7. Antarctica
8. Go to the Sydney Opera House Back and say, "Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle."
9. England
10. Go to Main Street and say, "If you would be happy all your life, plant a garden."
Category:Quests