author
F. H. (Franklin Hiram) King
1848–1911
A pioneering American soil scientist, inventor, and educator, he helped bring careful measurement and practical engineering into everyday farming. He is still remembered for influential work on soil physics and for Farmers of Forty Centuries, a widely read study of East Asian agriculture.
1 Audiobook
Farmers of Forty Centuries; Or, Permanent Agriculture in China, Korea, and Japan
by F. H. (Franklin Hiram) King
About the author
Born on a farm near Whitewater, Wisconsin, Franklin Hiram King studied at Whitewater State Normal School and later at Cornell University before building a career in agricultural science. He became a leading figure at the University of Wisconsin, where his research connected physics, soils, water, and farm practice in ways that were unusually practical for his time.
King also worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and earned a reputation as an inventive problem-solver. Sources consistently credit him with developing the cylindrical tower silo and a gravity ventilation system for dairy barns, along with important studies of soil moisture, drainage, tillage, and crop growing conditions.
Many readers know him best for Farmers of Forty Centuries, published in 1911 after his travels in China, Korea, and Japan. In that book, he described long-established farming methods with deep respect and curiosity, and it has remained influential among readers interested in sustainable agriculture and the history of farming.