A Bibliography on the Agriculture of the American Indians

Excerpt from the Preface: The scope of this bibliography is delineated in the table of contents. The section of comprehensive references on the pre-Columbian agriculture of the American Indian is of special interest to the general reader. The section on the centers of advanced agricultural development supplies references for the research worker who wishes to know about the methods used by the Indian in terrace farming, irrigation, conservation, and other evidences of progress beyond primitive cultivation. The section on the particular crops domesticated and raised by the Indian will, it is hoped, be helpful to the scientist in carrying on research incident to the history and improvement of these crops. The section on the agriculture of the reservations in the United States provides selected references on recent and present-day problems of irrigation, conservation, forestry, and land use. The sections on food and medicinal plants used by the Indian are of similar import for the scientist who seeks new sources of food and drugs. In view of the fact that the Indians constitute a large share of the populations of the New World countries other than the United States and Canada, the bibliography may also contribute to a better understanding of the culture of these countries and therefore to closer relations between North and South America.