Olivier de Serres was a French author and soil scientist whose "Théâtre d'Agriculture" was the text book of French agriculture in the 1600s.. 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. Wikipedia
The definitive Wikipedia entry for Olivier de Serres. Wikipedia is the biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivier_de_Serres
