Oeuvres d’Agriculture, 1786-1787
Rey de Planazu, François Joseph

Late last fall a British bookseller contacted Lynne Farrington about an extraordinary work on eighteenth-century French agriculture. The Historical and Library Committee, after examining the descriptions, decided to splurge.

Prior to the Revolution, agricultural land in France was owned by the Church and the nobility. In 1786 François Joseph Rey De Planazu, a member of the Société Physique et Economique de Zurich, gave a series of lectures on agriculture and technology. Although the agricultural revolution was slow to influence farming practices in France, these lectures of Rey de Planszu were very well-received. He was subsequently invited to several of the great estates of eastern France where he gave advice and collected information. His findings were published in a series of pamphlets, printed in various places in 1786 and 1787 and published collectively under the title Oeuvres d’Agriculture. The first 18 parts describe agricultural machinery and crop rotation and include hand-colored engraved plates. Each plate pictures an invention, like the threshing machine and poultry seen here, and is dedicated to the estate where it was found. In the upper left corner of each plate is the coat of arms of the relevant estate. The 19th part addresses agricultural economy and farm management.