Heirloom (Seed Savers) by Sandra Smith

Author:Sandra Smith [Smith, S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sandra Smith
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

Clare and Dante

Rain streamed down the south-facing window, washing away Clare’s hopes for the day. Genevieve had said they needed a few more dry days to plant the first outdoor seeds, maybe put out the tiny onion starts. Now they would have to wait all over again for the ground to dry. The forecast warned there might be three centimeters of rain with this storm. At least Dante would finally get to give onion Bob his flat top.

The Guardian class schedule was flexible in order to make the most of Mother Nature’s fickle displays. When it was clear and not too cold, the students worked outside. If it rained and there was plenty to do inside, the greenhouse was an option. If nothing else, during the more dreary days, back-to-back classes, as they had done in January, were the final resort. Unfortunately, if the weather pulled a fast one, the more interesting teachers weren’t always available. And so, the class on vertebrate pests, which should have been interesting—Dante had even come—was dry and boring. The teacher lectured endlessly, with no hands-on or small group work. The saving grace was a short video at the end showing a parasitic wasp larvae eating a caterpillar from the inside out.

Clare was grateful the next session would be political history since Stan was always interesting, even when he lectured. A person passionate about his field brings a contagious enthusiasm. Dante, of course, went home early.

“After the questions from last class, I’ve decided to take things more slowly,” Stan said. “I did not realize the extent of your lack of knowledge on the subject. Not your fault,” he added quickly, lest he offend the expectant eyes geared toward him. “The very idea that this class has been added to the Guardian program should have clued me in.

“Let’s go back a hundred years.” He clicked on the slideshow. “Most of you have been here long enough to know the names of these fruits and vegetables…” On the screen, photos of apples, pears, plums, corn, beans, and potatoes appeared one at a time, melting into the next. “A hundred years ago in the United States, any person on the street could have identified them.” Papers had stopped their shuffling, chairs their screechy scooting. Clare could hear the breathing of the man next to her. “So what happened?” Stan asked.

“In 1977 a lot of people were not farmers. Only about 4% of the population. Of course today it is less than 1%. However, around twenty years before that, in 1955, nearly 10%—one in ten people—could say they were farmers. People knew what food was; they knew where it came from. Many of them planted gardens, and the crops grown by farmers were diverse. One small farm—and this was also true in the 1970s—might grow hay and wheat and cherries or berries. They didn’t just grow, say, corn.

“Anyway, a century ago, farmers in the U.S. were undergoing an agricultural revolution. Between 1950 and 1975, agricultural productivity changed more rapidly than at any other time in history up to that point.

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