AGRICULTURE

the science or art of cultivating the soil, growing and harvesting crops, and raising livestock. The art of making land more productive is practiced throughout the worldin some areas by methods not far removed from the conditions of several thousands of years ago and in other areas, with the aid of science and mechanization, as a highly commercial type of endeavour. Agriculture still drafts into its service more of the world's aggregate manpower than all other occupations combined. Agriculture is treated in a number of articles. For the history and principal treatments of the subject, see agriculture, history of; agricultural economics; animal breeding; beekeeping; cereal farming; dairy farming; farming; fruit farming; food preservation; irrigation and drainage; livestock farming; poultry farming; vegetable farming. For the academic and technological discipline, see agricultural sciences.