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Biological husbandry — A scientific approach to organic husbandry
328 BIOLOGICAL HUSBANDRY
Biological Husbandry - - A
Scientific Approach to Organic Husbandry.
B. Stonehouse, Butterworths, Kent, 1981, 352 pp., 234 × 156 mm, £25.00 (cased), ISBN 0-408-10726-X. The proceedings of the 30 papers that were presented at the First International Symposium of Biological Husbandry were published in this book. All 30 papers strongly favored biological husbandry or organic agricultural production. Despite the implication of the book title, that is, "a scientific approach" to organic husbandry, several of the papers supported organic agriculture with little or no scientific evidence. There were four outstanding scientific papers on organic agriculture in the symposium. These were: An Agriculture for the Future, by R.D. Hodges. The Biology and Technology of Small-Holdings, by C.R.W. Spedding, J.W. Walsingham and M.A. Wagner. Energy Utilization in Orthodox and Biological Agriculture: A Comparison, by P.N. Wilson and T.D.A. Brigstocke. Feeding the World, by T.L.V. Ulbricht. Another paper made an assessment of the nutritional differences between foods produced by conventional and organic agricultural practices, but the cited papers that claimed that organically grown foods were nutritionally superior to conventionally grown foods, were not published in refereed scientific journals. However, those papers that demonstrated that no nutritional differences existed between foods produced by organic and conventional agriculture were published in refereed scientific journals. Publishing in refereed scientific journals does not automatically mean that the findings are correct but usually there is greater scientific credibility associated with refereed papers, as, having them reviewed by two to six scientific specialists, increases the opportunity for sound experimental designs and accurate analysis of the data published. It is unfortunate that often judgements of 'good and bad' are made between organic and conventional agricultural practices. Some organic and some conventional agricultural technologies have valuable attributes, depending on the crops, soils, pests, and climatic conditions of the region. Advantageous practices from both organic and conventional agriculture should be selectively identified and combined for a sound agriculture for the future. Organic agricultural technology in particular has three major valuable attributes: (1) use of organic matter to maintain high soil quality; (2) minimal soil erosion; and (3) environmental pollution kept to a minimum. This book has some well-documented papers concerning the scientific aspects of organic agriculture and these provide an up-to-date source of in-
329
formation on some of the latest literature on organic agriculture. Both agricultural scientists and students should find these papers of great value. D. PIMENTEL
(Department of Entomology Cornell University Ithaca, N Y 14853 U.S.A.)
THE DEVELOPMENT
OF AGRICULTURE
Seed to Civilization: the Story o f Food. 2nd edn. Charles R. Heiser, Jr., W.H. Freeman, 1981, 254 pp., £6.20 (paperback), ISBN 0-7167-1265-2; £13.40 (hard cover), ISBN 0-7167-1264-4. "Seed to Civilization" traces the development of agriculture from its origins, detailing where, when and how mankind's food plants and animals were domesticated. It describes the patterns o f food use and distribution that have developed from prehistoric times to the present. Virtually all of the food plants were domesticated in prehistoric times. Although little att e m p t is being made to bring new wild plants into cultivation, some effort is being made to develop 'new' food plants from long-neglected domesticated ones. The book is devoted almost entirely to basic food crops. Only one chapter deals with animals and the final chapter summarizes the general problem of world hunger at present. The author, a botanist, argues that only one chapter is given to animals because all of our carbohydrates and nearly three-quarters of our protein derive from plant sources. There is some mention of the uses of plants and animals for purposes other than food, such as religious and other ceremonial reasons, and fibre. The various theories regarding the origins of agriculture are discussed. Agriculture probably had its origins in the Near East, not necessarily in Mesopotamia, but more likely in the semi-arid mountainous areas nearby. We are not certain what happened in other places. Only about 50 animals have been domesticated including the honey bee and the silk moth. The dog has been thought to be the first domesticated animal. Other animals discussed are sheep, goats, cattle, buffalo, horses, pigs and chickens. Some New World domesticates such as the llama are briefly mentioned. The other chapters deal with plants. One chapter is devoted to the origin, hybridization and other development of the "grasses", wheat, rice, maize, and sorghum. Other chapters deal with sugar cane and beets, coconuts, sunflower and cotton, legumes and starchy staples. The chapter on legumes describes beans, peas, peanuts and soybeans, among others. Cultivated lentils and peas appear in the archaeological record in the Near East nearly as early as wheat and barley, the first two plants cultivated. In the Far East the soy-
Biological Husbandry - - A
Scientific Approach to Organic Husbandry.
B. Stonehouse, Butterworths, Kent, 1981, 352 pp., 234 × 156 mm, £25.00 (cased), ISBN 0-408-10726-X. The proceedings of the 30 papers that were presented at the First International Symposium of Biological Husbandry were published in this book. All 30 papers strongly favored biological husbandry or organic agricultural production. Despite the implication of the book title, that is, "a scientific approach" to organic husbandry, several of the papers supported organic agriculture with little or no scientific evidence. There were four outstanding scientific papers on organic agriculture in the symposium. These were: An Agriculture for the Future, by R.D. Hodges. The Biology and Technology of Small-Holdings, by C.R.W. Spedding, J.W. Walsingham and M.A. Wagner. Energy Utilization in Orthodox and Biological Agriculture: A Comparison, by P.N. Wilson and T.D.A. Brigstocke. Feeding the World, by T.L.V. Ulbricht. Another paper made an assessment of the nutritional differences between foods produced by conventional and organic agricultural practices, but the cited papers that claimed that organically grown foods were nutritionally superior to conventionally grown foods, were not published in refereed scientific journals. However, those papers that demonstrated that no nutritional differences existed between foods produced by organic and conventional agriculture were published in refereed scientific journals. Publishing in refereed scientific journals does not automatically mean that the findings are correct but usually there is greater scientific credibility associated with refereed papers, as, having them reviewed by two to six scientific specialists, increases the opportunity for sound experimental designs and accurate analysis of the data published. It is unfortunate that often judgements of 'good and bad' are made between organic and conventional agricultural practices. Some organic and some conventional agricultural technologies have valuable attributes, depending on the crops, soils, pests, and climatic conditions of the region. Advantageous practices from both organic and conventional agriculture should be selectively identified and combined for a sound agriculture for the future. Organic agricultural technology in particular has three major valuable attributes: (1) use of organic matter to maintain high soil quality; (2) minimal soil erosion; and (3) environmental pollution kept to a minimum. This book has some well-documented papers concerning the scientific aspects of organic agriculture and these provide an up-to-date source of in-
329
formation on some of the latest literature on organic agriculture. Both agricultural scientists and students should find these papers of great value. D. PIMENTEL
(Department of Entomology Cornell University Ithaca, N Y 14853 U.S.A.)
THE DEVELOPMENT
OF AGRICULTURE
Seed to Civilization: the Story o f Food. 2nd edn. Charles R. Heiser, Jr., W.H. Freeman, 1981, 254 pp., £6.20 (paperback), ISBN 0-7167-1265-2; £13.40 (hard cover), ISBN 0-7167-1264-4. "Seed to Civilization" traces the development of agriculture from its origins, detailing where, when and how mankind's food plants and animals were domesticated. It describes the patterns o f food use and distribution that have developed from prehistoric times to the present. Virtually all of the food plants were domesticated in prehistoric times. Although little att e m p t is being made to bring new wild plants into cultivation, some effort is being made to develop 'new' food plants from long-neglected domesticated ones. The book is devoted almost entirely to basic food crops. Only one chapter deals with animals and the final chapter summarizes the general problem of world hunger at present. The author, a botanist, argues that only one chapter is given to animals because all of our carbohydrates and nearly three-quarters of our protein derive from plant sources. There is some mention of the uses of plants and animals for purposes other than food, such as religious and other ceremonial reasons, and fibre. The various theories regarding the origins of agriculture are discussed. Agriculture probably had its origins in the Near East, not necessarily in Mesopotamia, but more likely in the semi-arid mountainous areas nearby. We are not certain what happened in other places. Only about 50 animals have been domesticated including the honey bee and the silk moth. The dog has been thought to be the first domesticated animal. Other animals discussed are sheep, goats, cattle, buffalo, horses, pigs and chickens. Some New World domesticates such as the llama are briefly mentioned. The other chapters deal with plants. One chapter is devoted to the origin, hybridization and other development of the "grasses", wheat, rice, maize, and sorghum. Other chapters deal with sugar cane and beets, coconuts, sunflower and cotton, legumes and starchy staples. The chapter on legumes describes beans, peas, peanuts and soybeans, among others. Cultivated lentils and peas appear in the archaeological record in the Near East nearly as early as wheat and barley, the first two plants cultivated. In the Far East the soy-