A History of Agriculture in India v1.c14.8

v1.c14.8

It is the animals that live in herds that are more amenable to domestication. The herd is usually led by a leader whom the herd follows. If the leader is captured, the rest of the herd can easily be caught. Sheep, goats, cattle and pigs, which are the main domestic animals, come under this category and no wonder that they were the first to be domesticated. Similarly, among plants it is the grasses which tend to grow densely, and are most amenable to control by man. Most of our cereals, e.g. wheat, barley, oats and rice, are grasses.