Early Agriculture
What is a civilization?
A group of people who settle in one place.
Who invented the cotton gin in 1793?
Eli Whitney.
What machine combines the functions of a reaper and thresher?
The combine.
What is domestication?
Taming animals and cultivating plants for human use.
About what percentage of Americans were farmers in the mid-1700s?
About 90%.
What is hunting and gathering?
Collecting wild plants and hunting animals for food.
Who invented the reaper in 1831?
Cyrus McCormick.
What does a baler do?
Wraps straw or hay into bales for storage.
What is an invention?
A new device, product, or way of doing work.
About what percentage of Americans farm today?
About 2%.
What crop did Native Americans domesticate from teosinte?
Maize (corn).
What invention did John Deere create in 1837?
The steel plow.
What is horsepower?
A measure of engine power, originally compared to draft horses.
What does a thresher do?
Separates grain from the stem of a plant.
What government agency was created in 1862?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
What did colonists bring with them to early Virginia and Massachusetts settlements?
Domesticated livestock.
What was Joseph Glidden’s invention in 1850?
Barbed wire.
What does a planter do?
Places seeds into the soil at correct spacing and depth.
What is technology?
Applying scientific knowledge for practical purposes.
What act created land-grant colleges in 1862?
The Morrill Act.
What farming method did Native Americans use when soil fertility diminished?
They moved to new land and let the soil recover.
What event in 1869 expanded markets for farm goods?
Completion of the transcontinental railroad.
How does GPS help modern farming?
Provides precise guidance for planting, fertilizing, and spraying.
What does GPS stand for?
Global Positioning System.
What is the overall goal of agricultural inventions and technologies through history?
To increase efficiency and food production.