Chapter I: Front Matter

FIELD, FOREST AND FARM

THINGS INTERESTING TO YOUNG NATURE-LOVERS,
INCLUDING SOME MATTERS OF MOMENT TO GARDENERS
AND FRUIT-GROWERS

BY
JEAN-HENRI FABRE
Author of “The Story-Book of Science,” “Our
Humble Helpers,” “Social Life in
the Insect World,” etc.

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH
BY
FLORENCE CONSTABLE BICKNELL

NEW YORK
THE CENTURY CO.
1919

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
I The Staff of Life 3
II The History of Tobacco 11
III The Origin of Fertile Soil 16
IV Different Kinds of Soil 21
V Different Kinds of Soil (Continued) 25
VI Potash and Phosphorus 30
VII Phosphates and Nitrogen 35
VIII Vegetation and the Atmosphere 42
IX Lime 47
X Lime in Agriculture 52
XI Plaster of Paris 56
XII Plaster of Paris in Agriculture 60
XIII Natural Fertilizers—Guano 65
XIV The Stalk of the Plant 70
XV The Root 74
XVI Buds 80
XVII Adventitious Buds 84
XVIII Bulbs and Bulblets 89
XIX Tubers—Starch 93
XX Uses of Starch 98
XXI History of the Potato 102
XXII Ascending Sap 107
XXIII Descending Sap 112
XXIV Tree-Pruning 116
XXV Pinching—Bud-Nipping 120
XXVI Making Fruit Trees Bear 124
XXVII The Seed 129
XXVIII The Seed’s Food-Supply 134
XXIX Germination 138
XXX The Blossom 144
XXXI Pollen 150
XXXII The Grain of Wheat 155
XXXIII Cultivated Plants 159
XXXIV Different Ways of Propagating 165
XXXV Layering 170
XXXVI Slipping 178
XXXVII Grafting 184
XXXVIII Grafting (Continued) 190
XXXIX Grafting (Concluded) 197
XL Rotation of Crops 202
XLI Rotation of Crops (Continued) 208
XLII Land-Drainage 214
XLIII Paring and Burning 219
XLIV Wine-Making 223
XLV The Stag-Beetle 228
XLVI Sheath-Winged Insects 235
XLVII The June-Bug 242
XLVIII Caterpillars and Butterflies 249
XLIX Ants 256
L The Ant-Lion 264
LI Venomous Animals 271
LII The Phylloxera 279
LIII The Phylloxera (Continued) 288
LIV Nocturnal Birds of Prey 295
LV The Smaller Birds 300
LVI Birds’ Nests 305
LVII Migration of Birds 317
LVIII Carrier-Pigeons 322
LIX Some Prehistoric Animals 328
LX The Origin of Coal 336
LXI The Farmer’s Helpers 342
LXII The Farmer’s Helpers (Continued) 348

FIELD, FOREST AND FARM