There is a side of American agriculture that very few people have ever heard ...
American Agriculture 101
In the first
days of the Spanish invasion of the New World, along with their exotic diseases and visions of
gold, the conquerors brought hemp. It was grown by Spanish settlers in Peru, Colombia, Chile and Mexico at least as early as the 1530s. But
debate rages over when exactly hemp was introduced to North America. Some scholars speculate that the
Vikings may have introduced it centuries before Columbus bumped into the continent. Other
research suggests the plant may have traveled to the western hemisphere from
the east, carried by Chinese explorers who sailed around the northern Pacific Ocean. It may even have crossed the Bering
Straits with one of many waves of nomadic ancestors of Native Americans
(although there is no evidence one way or the other for this). The discovery of
clay pipes wrapped in hemp cloth and containing cannabis residue from an
ancient mound in Ohio is said to “prove” the existence of pre-Columbian
hemp in the Americas. So are the oft-cited words of early
French explorer Jacques Cartier who reported finding wild hemp in Canada in 1535. As others have pointed out,
Cartier most likely had discovered not cannabis, but cannabinum, a
fibrous plant known as Indian hemp used by natives both medicinally and as a
fiber.
During the
years of British naval ascendancy, an era that witnessed the establishment of
English colonies in Virginia and New England, hemp was a key crop, vital to the
success of the Royal Navy. It has been estimated that it took 80 tons of hemp
to rig a Tudor man-of-war back in the days of hemp rope and hemp-cloth sails.
The fleet that defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588 then -- consisting of 34
ships of the line and 163 smaller vessels -- carried manufactured hemp
representing the output of 10,000 cultivated acres. The importance of hemp to
maintaining naval superiority was not lost on the British crown. By royal
proclamation, any farmer who did not devote at least one quarter acre of arable
land for every sixty to hemp, faced fines and imprisonment.
The need for
hemp followed the first British settlers in the New World, but the founders of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607 did not make the
treacherous journey across the sea in order to raise a crop as boring as hemp.
Most had come expecting to find gold and silver, make a quick fortune and head
back home. Still, the crown attempted to encourage hemp production and by 1616
colonist John Rolfe could brag that the Jamestown settlers had raised hemp “none
better in England or Holland.” It would be Rolfe who pioneered
the large scale production of another crop -- tobacco -- with far more
potential than hemp to fulfill those dreams the colonists had of gold.
Farming and Fun
Here are some things that seem to be a great way to help make farming, and learning farming, a whole lot of fun!
 | Chocolate Milk Apron (Kitchen)
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 | Vrrrooommm 3! Apple Farming for Kids (Video)
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 | Vrrrooommm! Farming for Kids (Video)
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 | the farming game (Toy)
Whether you're a real farmer or an urban dweller, you'll find The Farming Game is an accurate description of the business risks and gambles of farming.
Players begin the game $5,...more
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Lowest New Price: $24.75 (as of 10/10/2008@2:21 PM) |
Learn to Farm Now
Now is a great time to learn the basics of agricultural science and more ...