Agriculture in Colonial New England
Agriculture in Colonial New England
The English colonists who landed on the northeastern shores of North America in the seventeenth century knew firsthand the meaning of the limits of the possibilities imposed by the stony, infertile fields of New England. Agriculture as the colonists knew it in the old country was impossible in this inhospitable terrain. Given the short planting season of New England, there was simply not the time to cultivate much land, and the cultivation itself had to be practiced differently than in the well-tilled, soft soil of the English countryside. Thus typical New England farmers, who might possess a hundred acres, were often unable to plow more than an eighth of the area. Plows themselves were in short supply-as late as 1760 only one farm in five owned its own plow-and those on hand were light, wooden implements, sheathed in iron (and later steel), incapable of turning the soil very deeply. Even with two or three horses or with a yoke of four to six oxen, a farmer could plow hardly more than a single acre in a day.
The limits of the possible imposed their barriers but also stimulated adaptation and innovation. New Englanders learned to cultivate strips of ground a mere hoe’s width across and four to five inches deep, to drop in a few grains of corn, and to fertilize the seeds with a dead fish, a technique used by the Native Americans. Because corn was easy to tend, requiring no more than 50 days a year of a farmer’s time, one farmer was capable of planting six to eight acres, which produced 80 to 120 bushels, enough to feed five to seven persons a year. Moreover, in addition to the ease of raising and harvesting corn, every part of the plant could be put to productive use. The stalks served as winter feed for cattle; other parts of the plant were used as stuffing for mattresses, jug stoppers, bowls for pipes, and tool handles. Establishing a farm in New England was truly a family affair, for it required that every available hand be pressed into service, especially at planting time in the spring and harvesting season in the fall.
Meanwhile, tools gradually changed to meet new demands. The necessity of clearing away the forest made the axe an indispensable agricultural implement. The heavy axe of England was shortened and made more compact. Later, the handle itself became gracefully curved and was often shaped to the height and swing of the user. The result was a dramatic improvement in its efficiency. Trials showed that an American could fell three times as many trees in a given time with an American axe than could someone using the European model. Equally important was the adaptation of the traditional hand sickle to the demands of the short growing season that required rapid harvesting. Using a traditional hand sickle, a farmer could reap and stack into piles no more than half an acre per day. The development of a long-handled scythe that could both cut the grain and collect the stalks made it possible for an experienced farmer to reap nearly two acres a day, effectively multiplying productivity fourfold.
Yet another vital means of improving the limits of the possible was the adaptation of crops. Wheat, rye, and oats -the mainstays of English agriculture-did poorly at first, and the colonists were forced to try a Native American triad: corn, beans, and pumpkins. Corn yielded three or four times as many bushels per acre as the English grains did.
Nevertheless, the soil of New England provided little encouragement to large-scale conventional farming. Also restricting the establishment of successful farming in the region was the absence of east-west navigable waterways. New England’s rivers were shallow and full of rapids. Ships could not sail up to farms as they did to plantations in the southern part of North America, so even though farm families in New England could produce beyond subsistence, they could not become involved in market-oriented activity. Accordingly, at least three-quarters of the products produced by the typical New England farm family went into direct household consumption, with the balance exchanged locally for products and services the family could not itself provide.
1
The English colonists who landed on the northeastern shores of North America in the seventeenth century knew firsthand the meaning of the limits of the possibilities imposed by the stony, infertile fields of New England. Agriculture as the colonists knew it in the old country was impossible in this inhospitable terrain. Given the short planting season of New England, there was simply not the time to cultivate much land, and the cultivation itself had to be practiced differently than in the well-tilled, soft soil of the English countryside. Thus typical New England farmers, who might possess a hundred acres, were often unable to plow more than an eighth of the area. Plows themselves were in short supply-as late as 1760 only one farm in five owned its own plow-and those on hand were light, wooden implements, sheathed in iron (and later steel), incapable of turning the soil very deeply. Even with two or three horses or with a yoke of four to six oxen, a farmer could plow hardly more than a single acre in a day.
Why does the author mention in the passage that typical New England farmers “were often unable to plow more than an eighth of the area” they possessed?
Rhetorical Purpose Questions修辞目的题
ATo compare the size of New England farms with those in England
BTo point out a consequence of New England’s short growing season
CTo provide evidence that the quality of New England plows was poor
DTo explain why New England farmers often did not own their own plows
2
The English colonists who landed on the northeastern shores of North America in the seventeenth century knew firsthand the meaning of the limits of the possibilities imposed by the stony, infertile fields of New England. Agriculture as the colonists knew it in the old country was impossible in this inhospitable terrain. Given the short planting season of New England, there was simply not the time to cultivate much land, and the cultivation itself had to be practiced differently than in the well-tilled, soft soil of the English countryside. Thus typical New England farmers, who might possess a hundred acres, were often unable to plow more than an eighth of the area. Plows themselves were in short supply-as late as 1760 only one farm in five owned its own plow-and those on hand were light, wooden implements, sheathed in iron (and later steel), incapable of turning the soil very deeply. Even with two or three horses or with a yoke of four to six oxen, a farmer could plow hardly more than a single acre in a day.
Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about the New England plow?
Factual Information Questions事实信息题
AIt was widely available.
BIt was not very expensive.
CIt was not very strong.
DIt was adapted for New England.
3
The limits of the possible imposed their barriers but also stimulated adaptation and innovation. New Englanders learned to cultivate strips of ground a mere hoe’s width across and four to five inches deep, to drop in a few grains of corn, and to fertilize the seeds with a dead fish, a technique used by the Native Americans. Because corn was easy to tend, requiring no more than 50 days a year of a farmer’s time, one farmer was capable of planting six to eight acres, which produced 80 to 120 bushels, enough to feed five to seven persons a year. Moreover, in addition to the ease of raising and harvesting corn, every part of the plant could be put to productive use. The stalks served as winter feed for cattle; other parts of the plant were used as stuffing for mattresses, jug stoppers, bowls for pipes, and tool handles. Establishing a farm in New England was truly a family affair, for it required that every available hand be pressed into service, especially at planting time in the spring and harvesting season in the fall.
The word “stimulated” in the passage is closest in meaning to
Vocabulary Questions词汇题
Aallowed
Brewarded
Cforced
Dencouraged
4
The limits of the possible imposed their barriers but also stimulated adaptation and innovation. New Englanders learned to cultivate strips of ground a mere hoe’s width across and four to five inches deep, to drop in a few grains of corn, and to fertilize the seeds with a dead fish, a technique used by the Native Americans. Because corn was easy to tend, requiring no more than 50 days a year of a farmer’s time, one farmer was capable of planting six to eight acres, which produced 80 to 120 bushels, enough to feed five to seven persons a year. Moreover, in addition to the ease of raising and harvesting corn, every part of the plant could be put to productive use. The stalks served as winter feed for cattle; other parts of the plant were used as stuffing for mattresses, jug stoppers, bowls for pipes, and tool handles. Establishing a farm in New England was truly a family affair, for it required that every available hand be pressed into service, especially at planting time in the spring and harvesting season in the fall.
According to paragraph 2, which of the following was true of the land cultivated by New England colonists?
Factual Information Questions事实信息题
AIt was abandoned for new land once a plot’s fertility decreased.
BIt was usually fertilized by Native Americans.
CThe size of the individual pieces that could be cultivated was limited.
DIt was suitable for raising a large variety of crops.
5
Meanwhile, tools gradually changed to meet new demands. The necessity of clearing away the forest made the axe an indispensable agricultural implement. The heavy axe of England was shortened and made more compact. Later, the handle itself became gracefully curved and was often shaped to the height and swing of the user. The result was a dramatic improvement in its efficiency. Trials showed that an American could fell three times as many trees in a given time with an American axe than could someone using the European model. Equally important was the adaptation of the traditional hand sickle to the demands of the short growing season that required rapid harvesting. Using a traditional hand sickle, a farmer could reap and stack into piles no more than half an acre per day. The development of a long-handled scythe that could both cut the grain and collect the stalks made it possible for an experienced farmer to reap nearly two acres a day, effectively multiplying productivity fourfold.
According to paragraph 3, American axes differed from English axes in that American axes
Factual Information Questions事实信息题
Awere generally heavier
Bwere often individualized for their owners
Chad more than one cutting edge
Dwere made of stronger materials
6
Meanwhile, tools gradually changed to meet new demands. The necessity of clearing away the forest made the axe an indispensable agricultural implement. The heavy axe of England was shortened and made more compact. Later, the handle itself became gracefully curved and was often shaped to the height and swing of the user. The result was a dramatic improvement in its efficiency. Trials showed that an American could fell three times as many trees in a given time with an American axe than could someone using the European model. Equally important was the adaptation of the traditional hand sickle to the demands of the short growing season that required rapid harvesting. Using a traditional hand sickle, a farmer could reap and stack into piles no more than half an acre per day. The development of a long-handled scythe that could both cut the grain and collect the stalks made it possible for an experienced farmer to reap nearly two acres a day, effectively multiplying productivity fourfold.
According to paragraph 3, what was the advantage of the long handled scythe?
Factual Information Questions事实信息题
AIt could be used for purposes other than cutting and gathering grain.
BIt allowed farmers to complete their work more quickly.
CIt cost less than the traditional hand sickle
DIt cut grain more evenly
7
Nevertheless, the soil of New England provided little encouragement to large-scale conventional farming. Also restricting the establishment of successful farming in the region was the absence of east-west navigable waterways. New England’s rivers were shallow and full of rapids. Ships could not sail up to farms as they did to plantations in the southern part of North America, so even though farm families in New England could produce beyond subsistence, they could not become involved in market-oriented activity. Accordingly, at least three-quarters of the products produced by the typical New England farm family went into direct household consumption, with the balance exchanged locally for products and services the family could not itself provide.
The word “conventional” in the passage is closest in meaning to
Vocabulary Questions词汇题
Acommercial
Befficient
Ctraditional
Dsimple
8
Nevertheless, the soil of New England provided little encouragement to large-scale conventional farming. Also restricting the establishment of successful farming in the region was the absence of east-west navigable waterways. New England’s rivers were shallow and full of rapids. Ships could not sail up to farms as they did to plantations in the southern part of North America, so even though farm families in New England could produce beyond subsistence, they could not become involved in market-oriented activity. Accordingly, at least three-quarters of the products produced by the typical New England farm family went into direct household consumption, with the balance exchanged locally for products and services the family could not itself provide.
According to paragraph 5, which of the following best describes the distribution of New England farm products?
Factual Information Questions事实信息题
AMost were traded to other farmers rather than sold on the open market.
BMost were consumed by the family that produced them, and the remainder were shipped to other parts of the country.
CMost were consumed by the family that produced them, and the remainder were traded locally.
DAll were consumed by the family that produced them.
9
The limits of the possible imposed their barriers but also stimulated adaptation and innovation. New Englanders learned to cultivate strips of ground a mere hoe’s width across and four to five inches deep, to drop in a few grains of corn, and to fertilize the seeds with a dead fish, a technique used by the Native Americans. Because corn was easy to tend, requiring no more than 50 days a year of a farmer’s time, one farmer was capable of planting six to eight acres, which produced 80 to 120 bushels, enough to feed five to seven persons a year. [■]Moreover, in addition to the ease of raising and harvesting corn, every part of the plant could be put to productive use. [■] The stalks served as winter feed for cattle; other parts of the plant were used as stuffing for mattresses, jug stoppers, bowls for pipes, and tool handles. [■]Establishing a farm in New England was truly a family affair, for it required that every available hand be pressed into service, especially at planting time in the spring and harvesting season in the fall.
[■]Meanwhile, tools gradually changed to meet new demands. The necessity of clearing away the forest made the axe an indispensable agricultural implement. The heavy axe of England was shortened and made more compact. Later, the handle itself became gracefully curved and was often shaped to the height and swing of the user. The result was a dramatic improvement in its efficiency. Trials showed that an American could fell three times as many trees in a given time with an American axe than could someone using the European model. Equally important was the adaptation of the traditional hand sickle to the demands of the short growing season that required rapid harvesting. Using a traditional hand sickle, a farmer could reap and stack into piles no more than half an acre per day. The development of a long-handled scythe that could both cut the grain and collect the stalks made it possible for an experienced farmer to reap nearly two acres a day, effectively multiplying productivity fourfold.
Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage
Even with such an advantageous crop, farming in New England remained challenging, in part because it depended on the efforts of the entire household.
Insert Text Questions句子插入题
Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square sentence to the passage.
10
Colonists arriving in New England in the seventeenth century found a very different agricultural environment than in England
Prose Summary Questions概要小结题
Select 3 answers
ANew England colonists were slow to adopt farming practices successfully used by American Indians.
BUnlike in England, where every member of the family was forced to work, larger tracts of land and better equipment in New England led to less labor for the families of farmers.
CNew England farmers began an active trade with plantations in the southern part of North America, exchanging surplus crops for products unavailable locally.
DBecause the planting season was short and New England soil was not well suited to agriculture, farming was challenging for colonists
EColonists learned to plant different crops better suited to the environment and to cultivate them in new ways, as well as to use crops for multiple purposes
FAdaptations made to agricultural tools to meet the demands of the new environment led to significant improvements in efficiency
