The roots of farming began in the areas of present day Turkey Middle East about 10,000 years ago. Two of the earliest settlements are known as Catal Hüyük and Jericho
We find many of the early civilizations began along major river systems. For example, Egyptians settled along the Nile River Harappa culture along the Indus , Chinese Empire along the Huang River Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The river systems provided these early civilizations with a consistent source of silt from the yearly floods and water for the crops. The silt is like a natural fertilizer, bringing new minerals to enrich the crop depleted soil.
Farming changed very little from early times until about 1700. In the 1700's an agriculture revolution took place which led to a large increase in the production of crops. This increase of crops came about in a large part by ". . . little more then the final destruction of medieval institutions and the more general adoption of techniques and crops which had been know for a long time". Included in some of these changes was also the adoption of crops from the "new world" such as corn and potatoes which produced a very large yield.
In the 1850's, the industrial revolution spilled over to the farm with new mechanized methods which increased production rates. Early on, the large changes were in the use of new farm implements. Most of these early implements were still powered by horse or oxen. These new implements combined with crop rotation, manure and better soil preparation lead to a steady increase of crop yield in Europe .
The advent of steam power and later gas powered engines brought a whole new dimension to the production of crops. Yet, even as recent as 100 years ago, four-fifth of the world populations lived outside towns and were in some way dependant on agriculture. Even in 1970's Griggs suggests that half of the worlds working population is still employed in agriculture.
PIONEER TOOLS PLANTING AND HARVESTING
When a crop was ready to harvest the farmer used a sickle, scythe or cradle scythe to cut the crop. Then the stalks were bundled into sheaves. The bunch of sheaves were leaned against each other so the sheaves stood up. The standing bundles were called stooks . The stooks were left to dry in the field. Later, the sheaves were hauled to the barn.
PIONEER TOOLS PLANTING AND HARVESTING
· The axe was a very important tool. With an axe the homesteader built a home, chopped firewood, chopped down trees and cleared the land.
· A pickaxe, hoe and spade (shovel) were used for digging and turning over the soil.
· A wooden rake was used to level the soil.
· Grain or hay was cut with a scythe (a long blade on a stick) or a sickle (a curved blade on a stick) and left to dry in the sun.
· A cradle scythe (also called a hand cradle) cut the hay and also dropped the hay in piles.
· A pitchfork was used to gather up the hay or grain into piles. Then the hay or grain was loaded onto a cart or wagon and stored in the barn.
· A flail was used to separate the seeds from the rest of the plant
PLOWING AND PLANTING
The land was broken up with a plow (or plough). The plow had a sharp blade that cut into the earth and turned over the soil. The plow was pulled by oxen or horses. The farmer had to keep the blade of the plow in the ground and had to be careful not to hit any large rocks, stumps or roots. Next a harrow was pulled over the soil to break up the lumps and smooth out the ground. A harrow looked like a large rake with rows of teeth.
Then the farmer (planted). Wheat, rye, oats, barley and flax (for making linen) were planted. After the seeds were planted, there were many ways that the crop could fail -- too many weeds, drought (no rain), floods, frost, hail, insects, plant diseases and prairie fires destroyed crops.
HARVESTING AND THRESHING
When a crop was ready to harvest the farmer used a sickle, scythe or cradle scythe to cut the crop. Then the stalks were bundled into sheaves. The bunch of sheaves were leaned against each other so the sheaves stood up. The standing bundles were called stooks . The stooks were left to dry in the field. Later, the sheaves were hauled to the barn.
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