Olivier de Serres

For the article on the school Olivier de Serres, to see 3Ecole Nationale Sup3erieure of the applied arts and the trades of art.

---- Olivier de Serres (1539 - 1619) is a French autodidact who was one of the first studied in a scientific way the agricultural techniques and to seek the improvement of it in an experimental way. From this point of view, one can regard it as the father of the Agronomie.

Biography

Born with Villeneuve-with-Berg in the Vivarais (today department of the Ardeche), Olivier de Serres is resulting from an easy Protestant family, having made fortune in the trade of cloth. The position of its family makes it possible Olivier to profit from the best lesson and a private tutor. It supplements its formation by many voyages in France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland.

Very early, it shows an intellectual curiosity near to that to humanistic of the Rebirth. At 19 years, it acquires the field of Pradel, of which it makes model farm which will be the theater many practical experiments. Its goal is to make share its knowledge, as well with the peasants to enable them to obtain better harvests, as with the owners to make bear fruit their fields. Recognized and respected by its pars, it is friendly of Claude Mollet (1563-1650), the gardener of Henri IV which carried out the gardens of Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer, of Fontainebleau, the Tuileries and Blois.

One owes him the introduction many other plants, such as the garance, the Houblon and the Maïs. It was the first to be worked with the extraction of sugar starting from the Betterave, but without arriving at a profitable process.

Its property located at the Pradel, where it had all its experimental plantations, was shaven during the wars of religion on order of Richelieu (1585-1642).

The recognition of the importance of its work arrives only tardily. Thus, it is only in 1804 that a monument is set up with its memory in its city of Villeneuve-of-Berg.

Development of Silk

It is thanks to him that the production of the Soie was introduced in France, via the development of plantations of mulberry trees whose worms with silk nourish themselves. Thus: 20000 feet of mulberry trees will be planted with Tileries and: 10000 with Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer. With François de Traucat, gardener of Nimes, it intensely develops the mulberry tree in the South of France. Four million seedlings is cultivated in Provence and Languedoc. In 1602, a royal decree forces each parish to have a seedbed of mulberry trees and a magnanery.

It makes appear in 1599 its Art of the gathering of the worms with silk .

Works

It publishes in 1600 the theater of agriculture and mesnage of the fields , Paris, Jamet-Sharecropper, work which can be regarded as the first course of agriculture and rural economy and scientist written in France. Extract of the foreword:

“ There are some who are mocquent of all the books of Agriculture, and renvoyent us with the peasants without letters, which they tell to estre the only judges compétans of ceste matter, like founded on the experiment, only and seure reigle to cultivate the fields. Admittedly, for doing something well, it is necessary it well to hear firstly. It couste too expensive to remake a work badly faicte, and especially in agriculture, in which one cannot lose the seasons without much damage. However, which trusts a general experiment, the only report/ratio of the plowmen, without knowing why, it is in danger to make badly reparable faults, and engarer often through fields under the credit of its dubious experiments. ”

The book is divided into eight places where the various agronomic activities are analyzed, since the description and the organization of the field until the expenditure of the goods by the owner. The expression “Mesnage of the fields” reveals the heart even its reflection. The object of its speech relates to the domestic economy, the order and the household expense of the fields. One also finds in his work of many descriptions of species, including/understanding in addition to the usual descriptions, of the councils of culture and maintenance, as well as plans of installation, like the boxwood embroideries. It divides the garden into four parts: the kitchen garden, the garden bouquetier, the medicinal garden and the orchard.

Work is order of king Henri IV (1553-1610), which was made read each day a chapter, and had much regard for Olivier de Serres.

Publications

Theater of agriculture and Household of the fields… Where one sees clearly and precision art to employ and cultivate the ground well, in all that relates to it, according to his various qualities and various climates, as well according to the doctrines of Old as by the experiment. Given in French by Anselme-Marie Fouquet de Gisors. Paris, Meurant, year XI, 1802; 4 volumes. It was published for the first time in 1600. The work is divided into eight parts: choice of the grounds, tilling, vine, cattle, hen house, wild rabbit, ponds, bees, kitchen gardens and fruit-lofts, water and wood, use of food.

Random links: