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Olivier de Serres (; 1539–1619) was a French author and
soil scientist
Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to t ...
whose '' Théâtre d'Agriculture'' (1600) was the accepted textbook of French agriculture in the 17th century.
Biography
Serres was born in 1539 atVilleneuve-de-Berg
Villeneuve-de-Berg is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions ...
, Ardèche
Ardèche (; oc, Ardecha; frp, Ardecha) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.Jean de Serres, was a well-known French humanist and translated the complete works of
*
''Le Théâtre d'Agriculture'', third edition, 1605
at Gallica 1539 births 1619 deaths People from Villeneuve-de-Berg Soil scientists French agronomists French gardeners Writers from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes French male writers French Protestants 17th-century agronomists 16th-century agronomists {{France-scientist-stub
Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
.
His book was notable for recommending winegrowers to plant 5 to 6 varieties in their vineyards to balance the risk of a crop failing, an early advocacy of crop rotation
Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area across a sequence of growing seasons. It reduces reliance on one set of nutrients, pest and weed pressure, and the probability of developing resistant ...
.
It also recommended ''métayage
The metayage ; es, mediería ; it, mezzadria . system is the cultivation of land for a proprietor by one who receives a proportion of the produce, as a kind of sharecropping. Another class of land tenancy in France is named , whereby the rent is ...
'' (sharecropping
Sharecropping is a legal arrangement with regard to agricultural land in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land.
Sharecropping has a long history and there are a wide range ...
) so that cash tenants would take all the risks and thus demand lower rent, as hired labour is expensive to manage. Sharecroppers administer themselves and risks are divided with the landlord. According to him, only large landowners should take the risk of hiring labourers and running the estate themselves.The Economic Theory of Sharecropping in Early Modern France, Philip Hoffman, The Journal of Economic History 1984, page 312
See also
*Sugar beet
A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together w ...
* Sarasson
Notes
External links
''Le Théâtre d'Agriculture'', third edition, 1605
at Gallica 1539 births 1619 deaths People from Villeneuve-de-Berg Soil scientists French agronomists French gardeners Writers from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes French male writers French Protestants 17th-century agronomists 16th-century agronomists {{France-scientist-stub