AGRICULTURE, the Art of tilling or cultivating the Earth, in order to render it fertile, and make it bear Plants, Trees, Fruits, &c. See
EARTH,
SOIL,
CULTURE,
PLANT,
FRUIT,
SEED, &c. The principal and most general Operations in Agriculture are Manuring, Ploughing, Fallowing, Sowing, Harrowing; as also, Reaping, Mowing, &c. See the Articles MANURE, PLOUGHING, FALLOWING, SOWING, &c. To the Operations of Agriculture do also belong the Management of the Productions of particular Countries; as Hops, Hemp, Vines, Tobacco, Saffron, Liquorice, Woad, &c. See
HOPS,
HEMP,
TOBACCO,
SAFFRON,
GLYCYRRHIZA,
WOAD, &c. To the same Art belong Planting, Transplanting, Pruning, Engrafting; the Culture of Forests, Timber, Copses, &c. See
PLANTING,
TRANSPLANTING,
PRUNING,
ENGRAFTING,
TIMBER,
TREE, &c. Even Gardening, or Horticulture itself, is only a Branch of Agriculture. See
GARDEN and
GARDENING.
The Word is form’d of the Latin Ager, Field, and cultura, of colo, I till. Among the Ancients, it is frequently called Georgica.
We forbear to say any thing about the Antiquity or Usefulness of this Art. Every Reader's Imagination will supply that Defect. It has been cultivated by many of the greatest Men among the Ancients; as Emperors, Dictators, and Consuls; and has been treated of by some of their greatest Authors:
Virgil for instance, Cato, Varro, and Columella. The later Authors on Agriculture, are Palladius, Constantinus, Caesar, Baptista Porta, Heresbachius, and Agricola, in Latin; Alphonso Herrara, in Italian; Stephens, Liebaut, de Serres, de Croixens, Bellon, and Chomel, in French;and Buelyn, Mortimer, Switzer, Bradley, and Lawrence, in English. See CHRONICON.
