More Words, Deeper Hole

There were chestnut forests in the Mediterranean. Possibly forest farming in India and Africa, I dunno. And it's not like the Americas didn't use grain, like maize.

I've wondered why orchards weren't depended on more, since productivity seems high for less labor. One answer might be warfare: if your enemies burn your land, having one year to the next harvest beats having ten years. "Against the Grain" ideas about states favoring grain taxation might be another. Orchards might let you be freer -- up until a neighboring grain state conquers you, because it's a state.