You are standing in front of a reader rail titled “Window on the Past: Modern Farming Techniques.” To your left is a graphic panel titled “The Java Dairy Farm.” To your right is a graphic panel and artifact case titled “The Brown Family.”

The reader rail in front of you includes text and two images.

The main text reads:

WINDOW ON THE PAST
Modern Farming Techniques
In the 1900s, motorized equipment and new agricultural techniques helped make farming more efficient. But these new practices also had an impact on the environment.

Intensive dairy cattle raising destroyed vegetation and damaged the soil. Motorized machinery increased soil loss. And chemical fertilizers and pesticides, introduced after World War II, polluted waterways.

The accompanying black-and-white photo shows farm laborers loading a hay truck.

A background image shows hay stacks in a field.