TECHNOLOGY Sickles and Reapers Farmers need to harvest the crops or cut them down and gather the useable portions after they have grown to full size People can cut crops by hand One invention they can use to make the job easier is a sickle A sickle is a tool with a sharp curved blade Harvesting with a sickle is hard work and takes a long time The reaper is another invention This is a machine that cuts wheat and other grains using many blades It works much faster than a sickle Cotton Gin Following the harvest there is sometimes more work to do Farmers must process some crops before they are used For example cotton grows in balls with many small seeds The cotton fibers must be unwound and someone must remove all the seeds People then make thread from the cotton A worker will weave the thread into fabric for clothes Another name for a sickle is a scythe A cotton boll holds the ripe balls of cotton Reapers threshing machines can cut a lot of grain in a short time Commercial looms weave lots of cloth at one time A G R I C U L T U R E 7
8 A G R I C U L T U R E TECHNOLOGY Chemicals Fertilizers Fertilizers are substances that add nutrients to the soil to help plants grow Natural fertilizers have been used for centuries They include manure or the excrement of animals They also include guano which is made of bird and bat droppings Compost is a mixture of decaying plant material and people use it as a fertilizer Some farmers use chemical fertilizers to help their crops grow Chemicals are things which may be found in nature or created in a laboratory Liquid fertilizer is sometimes added to the soil Compost Compost is one of nature’s best mulches and is a great soil fertilizer Did you know you can make your own compost You can make it without spending any money and it will make your garden or the plants in your yard grow Eli Whitney 1765-1825 Getting to know Eli Whitney was born in Westborough Massachusetts on December 8 1765 Whitney worked as a farm laborer and schoolteacher to save money to attend Yale University In 1793 Eli Whitney learned of the problems with processing cotton and developed a machine that would use a comb and roller to make the work much easier He invented the cotton gin His invention made it easier and quicker to separate the cotton fibers from the seeds Eli ran into many problems with his request for a patent but it finally received approval by the court in 1807
9 TECHNOLOGY A G R I C U L T U R E Protecting Plants Some farmers use poisons to protect their crops from weeds and insects Herbicides are chemicals that destroy unwanted plants Many people spray herbicides to kill weeds Pesticides are chemicals that kill insects An aphid is a type of insect that will eat the leaves of a farmer’s crops Other types of insects that can destroy plants are locusts and weevils Farmers will spray pesticides to prevent these insects from destroying their crops Organic Farming Organic farming is a natural way of farming It is the practice of raising plants especially fruits and vegetables without the use of synthetic pesticides Many people believe using harsh chemicals on plants or produce can be harmful to the health of the humans who regularly use the foods which have been exposed to chemicals Organic farmers use only things naturally occurring in nature such as manure to help plants grow Organic farming does not use chemical fertilizers herbicides or pesticides Airplanes and helicopters are both used for crop dusting large areas with pesticides Organic vegetable gardens can produce delicious nutritious food strong and healthy without the help of chemicals from the store You can use yard cuttings fruit rinds vegetable peelings and even tea bags to begin your compost There are many conservation groups and websites that can help you to get started fertilizer FUR-tul-ahy-zer any substance used to increase the ability of the soil to promote plant growth organic or-GAN-ik a substance especially a fertilizer or pesticide of animal or vegetable origin synthetic sin-THET-ik something that is man-made
10 T R A N S P O R T A T I O N TECHNOLOGY People and things have always had the need to move or be moved from one place to another People have always looked for more comfortable or quicker ways to travel Transportation is a way people and things move from one place to another Different environments require different methods of transportation Transportation Timeline of Transportation After 1600 1662 Blaise Pascal invented a horse-drawn public bus 1783 Joseph Montgolfier and Étienne Montgolfier launched the first hot air balloons 1814 George Stephenson built the first practical steam powered railroad locomotive 1900 Ferdinand von Zeppelin built the first successful airship Rachel Carson 1907-1964 Getting to know Rachel Carson was born in Pennsylvania in 1907 She always loved nature and writing Carson studied biology the science of life in college Then she studied marine zoology in graduate school This is the study of sea animals Carson wrote three popular books about the ocean and the creatures in it Carson then turned her attention to the land A friend of hers noticed that many of the birds on her property died rather suddenly This happened after the spraying of pesticides in the area Carson studied the impact of the pesticide DDT She found that the poison contaminated or dirtied the soil and water It also killed birds Carson wrote about what she discovered in1962 She called her book Silent Spring Her warnings made people think about the negative effect technology can have on the environment
