Traditional American Farming Techniques

More than 1,000 pages from the golden age of American agriculture.

More than 1,000 pages from the golden age of American agriculture.

From the large corporation using enormous machines in the USA, to the woman with her hoe and her plot of cassava in Mozambique, to a Chinese collective farm worker in the rice fields, agriculture is essential for humanity to eat. This book looks at the many different types of agriculture and considers the challenges facing farmers today.

The Art of Agriculture is the first English edition of Obra de Agricultura by Gabriel Alonso de Herrera, an agriculture instruction manual originally written in Granada, Spain, in 1513 and published there in 1539. Herrera, widely considered the Father of Modern Spanish Agriculture, wrote this treatise nearly five centuries ago, thoughtfully recounting traditional farming techniques of the Moors before their expulsion from Spain, the Spanish colonizers in the early 1600s, and the rural Indo-Hispano bioregion spanning northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Today, farmers, gardeners, and ecological horticulturists are striving to work in harmony with nature, using traditional irrigation methods (involving acequias, sangras, and arroyos) to transform barren high-desert landscapes into fields supporting crop growth. This book speaks to today's farmers, no matter their size or output, in drought-ridden areas with land patterns characterized by natural ditches (acequias) and community water distribution systems (suertes). This type of agriculture exists not only in the American Southwest but from the Philippines to India to the Middle East. With global warming, water usage, and increased populations today, this book is more pertinent now than ever. Practical as well as philosophical, The Art of Agriculture will fascinate anyone interested in organic farming, sustainable agriculture, and permaculture worldwide.

It might seem impossible to fit all information on the subject of farming and farm management in one book, but this comprehensive volume includes everything a novice or expert farmer will ever need to know. Originally published in 1916, Traditional American Farming Techniques is filled with facts and tips written by specialists on a plethora of subjects. Everything that goes into starting and maintaining a successful farm, big or small, is included, along with invaluable information on harvesting and marketing crops like wheat, corn, potatoes, beans, alfalfa, flax, meadow and pasture grasses, sugar crops, cotton, tobacco, nuts, and tropical fruits. You’ll find tips on livestock farming; breeding and care of horses, cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, and poultry; and information on: • The science and maintenance of soil • The best natural and commercial fertilizers • Correctly using various types of manure • Watering and drainage techniques • Dairy farming, vegetable and fruit gardening, and forestry • Purposes and methods of crop rotation • Pest and insect control • And so much more! Traditional American Farming Techniques clearly and thoroughly explains how to manage a prospering farm, how to use equipment and build farm buildings, and includes handy tables of weights, measures, and agricultural statistics. This is the ultimate reference for any farmer.

As biological diversity continues to shrink at an alarming rate, the loss of plant species poses a threat seemingly less visible than the loss of animals but in many ways more critical. In this book, one of America's leading ethnobotanists warns about our loss of natural vegetation and plant diversity while providing insights into traditional Native agricultural practices in the Americas. Gary Paul Nabhan here reveals the rich diversity of plants found in tropical forests and their contribution to modern crops, then tells how this diversity is being lost to agriculture and lumbering. He then relates "local parables" of Native American agriculture—from wild rice in the Great Lakes region to wild gourds in Florida—that convey the urgency of this situation and demonstrate the need for saving the seeds of endangered plants. Nabhan stresses the need for maintaining a wide gene pool, not only for the survival of these species but also for the preservation of genetic strains that can help scientists breed more resilient varieties of other plants. Enduring Seeds is a book that no one concerned with our environment can afford to ignore. It clearly shows us that, as agribusiness increasingly limits the food on our table, a richer harvest can be had by preserving ancient ways. This edition features a new foreword by Miguel Altieri, one of today's leading spokesmen for sustainable agriculture and the preservation of indigenous farming methods.