Question

What marked the beginning of agriculture in the Americas? .

Answer 1

Like in many other nations around the world, America too has seen a huge economic development thanks to agriculture. From the time of the very first settlers in this country to the present time, agriculture has been significant to the overall development of the country, albeit technological advancements have taken place mightily. Agriculture in colonial times provided the livelihood and sustenance for almost the entire population and in 1910, the number of farms in USA were more than 6 million. Today, the number of farms is in the vicinity of 2.5 million. The history of agriculture in America has been marked by different styles of farming, growth of the railways, industrialization and even events like War and rebellions.

Tracing the Significant Periods in American Agriculture History
The simplest way to trace the history of agriculture in USA is by looking at the time periods. Each period had some major influences from various sources too.

The 16th to 18th century period saw crops like corn, tobacco and cotton being cultivated with the use of black slaves. Animals like the oxen and horses were used to provide the heavier labor required for farming lands. Physical labor was a high quotient for agriculture and a few cash crops for trade were also cultivated. It was mostly plantation agriculture with the use of ethnic farming methods. The use of mixed farming was also prevalent since the Scots- Irish community cultivated corn for consumption by human beings and as feed for livestock as well. The ethnic influences on agriculture came by way of settlements of French, English, Spanish farmers and immigrants who came in a big way in the eighteenth century and made their homes in many places in the country.

This period also saw some important developments in terms of farm machinery. The cotton gin was invented in 1793 by Eli Whitney. This made the South attain leadership status as far as cotton crop was concerned. Cast iron plow was invented and patented by Charles Newbold in 1797.

Between 1800 and 1850 the country went through substantial changes. With the invention of the iron plow came another invention related to plows. In this invention, the parts of the plow could be interchanged. This invention came about in 1800. The US food canning industry came into being between 1819 and 1825. In 1819, the New York State Board of Agriculture was instituted to be the first organization of its kind. Several Acts like the Pre-emption Act, Graduation Act and Land Law are enacted during this period. Each one had its own unique impact on not just agriculture but in other spheres as well. For instance, in 1820, the credit system was abolished. In terms of farm machinery, the more noteworthy inventions were the McCormick reaper in 1834, steel plows in 1837, grain elevator in 1842 and the straddle row cultivator a little later in 1856.

The next significant period lasted from 1860 to almost 1910 when the railroad age began. Farming expanded in a big way with the number of farms growing dramatically and their value growing by leaps and bounds too. Between 1868 and 1873, the railroads grew phenomenally and also helped in bringing farmers from regions and countries like Britain, Scandinavia and Germany. 1862 saw the enactment of the Homestead Act which gave 160 acres to any settler who has worked the land for five years. Between 1865 and 1870, share cropping took the place of slave plantation systems in the South.

The most prosperous era for American farmers was between 1900 and 1914 when the power of organized farm groups wanted to involve the government as a level of measuring profits and prices as well.

From around 1910 to the modern age, American agriculture has been marked by the use of tractors for extensive farming and the use of commercial fertilizer as well. From the use of herrings to fertilize the maize crops in the time of colonial farming to the use of around 6,850,800 tons of fertilizer every year between 1920 and 1929, USA has indeed come very far by this time.