Coffee, tea, cotton, seeds: what are plantations?

Everyone who has seen the film about the amazing Scarlett O'Hara, probably remembers the first scene - a panorama of a huge cotton plantation, called Tara. And from the TV screens we are told about tea and coffee plantations, on which the best varieties of these plants grow. What is plantation, where are they and what are considered to be the most unusual?

Etymology

The origin of words is studied by etymology. It is this department of linguistics that will help to understand what plantations are. This word appeared in the Russian language in the XVIII century. Borrowed from Latin, it means planting plants. Happened from planta - "seedling". It is worth noting that this term does not have an exact definition. In addition, it is not official.

The first plantations

For the first time plantation farms appeared in the West Indies in the 16th century. Their founders were Spaniards who exploited the indigenous population of the continent. The tools of slave labor were the most primitive. The 18th century was marked by the appearance of European colonies on the territory of Asia and Africa. Most often the owners of the plantations were foreign citizens, but sometimes the owners became large corporations. For a long time, the plantation workers were negroes. The main purpose of creating large plantations was the production of sugar cane, tea, coffee, tobacco, pineapple, cocoa and much more. Of course, for commercial purposes. The plantation system reached its peak in the beginning of the 19th century. Then its center was the United States of America. In the southern states, a huge amount of cotton was grown.

Investments and wage labor: what are plantations of the capitalist type?

A few centuries after the appearance of plantations, a new economic species appeared - capitalist plantations. Here, slaves were no longer working - thanks to investments, the owners could afford to hire workers. This type of farming had other characteristics:

1. Permanent staff.
2. Fixed salary.
3. Increase the number of workers at the time of harvest.

By the way, quite often hired workers managed to work on several plantations for a season. After all, different cultures are ripening at different times. This tradition is still relevant for the population of the Third World countries.

What determines the germination and quality of the crop?

Now you know the meaning of the word "plantation", the history of the emergence of agricultural holdings. It should be noted that any plantation is calculated from considerations of its profitability. That is why the location is chosen in accordance with the requirements of the crops that are planned to grow.

For example, most of the tobacco plantations are in China, India, Brazil and the United States. It is here that the soil and climate are most suitable for growing this plant. The largest strawberry farms are located on the territory of Western Europe, Uzbekistan and the Krasnodar Territory. But blueberries are mainly grown in the northern latitudes - this berry needs a marshy terrain and moist soil. In the tropical countries, they actively cultivate vanilla. The future of the Russian forest industry is a forest raw material plantation. What is the plantation of wood raw materials? This is a solution to the problem of timber resource shortages. The most unusual plantation can be considered a cactus. And in Queens there is a legal plantation of marijuana! Plants grown here, of course, will not go on sale - they will be used exclusively for medical purposes.