Olivier de Serres (1529 – 1619) was a French author and soil scientist whose Théâtre d'Argriculture was the text book of French agriculture in the 1600's. Hugh Johnson, Vintage: The Story of Wine pg 122. Simon and Schuster 1989 . The work was notable for its recommendation to wine growers that they plant 5-6 varieties in their vineyards to balance the risk of a crop failing and the early advocating of crop rotation.

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