the agricultural revolution the major impetus for the agricultural revolution was to grow more food...
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The Agricultural Revolution• The major impetus for the
Agricultural Revolution was to grow more food
• But not only did they want to grow more food, they wanted to use less people to do it
• They wanted to free people from the land so they could go to the cities and work in industry
• And this is how the Agricultural Revolution inevitably led to the Industrial Revolution
Old School Farming• So it was out with the
old and in with the new• The “old” was during the
Middle Ages• Peasant farmers would
rent small strips of land and grow a variety of different crops• Their goal was to feed
their families and pay their landlords• Any crop left over would
be used to buy other amenities• It was subsistence
farming at best
New School Farming• But the “new” involved
getting rid of the small farms and small farmers• Small farms were
consolidated into large productive farms• Instead of a variety of
crops these new farms would grow one or two crops and do it very well• In other words, they
specialized
New Type of Farm – New Type of Farmer
• In fact, this new farmer was not worried about putting food on the table• He was worried about
making a profit• He would use all the
modern technology available• He was an entrepreneur
and he had money• He was willing to
experiment and invest money so he could make even more money
Jethro Tull• One of the major
innovators or agricultural pioneers during this period was Jethro Tull
• Tull’s methods were adopted by many large landowners and have essentially helped to form the basis for modern agriculture
• Tull found that when soil was well broken up, or cultivated, and enriched with manure or fertilizer, crops grew much better
• He also came up with a better method of planting seed
Out with Broadcasting• Because the old method
of planting called “broadcasting” was not effective• Farmers would scatter
seeds over a large area by hand• The disadvantage was
that many seeds were lost due to wind or birds• Furthermore the farmer
ended up with an unruly mass of crop mixed with weeds
The Seed Drill• Tull came up with an more
efficient system of sowing seeds
• He invented the seed drill • It would bury the seed neatly
in rows• It was faster and much less
wasteful than broadcasting• And now, rather than an
unruly mass of weeds and crop, the farmer had neat rows that were easier to maintain
Horse Drawn Hoe• Tull also advocated the use
of horses instead of oxen to cultivate the land
• He created a horse-drawn hoe for clearing weeds
• He found that if the soil was adequately pulverized, it would release nutrients from the soil, and help crops grow better
• Using the Horse Drawn Hoe help to pulverize the soil to the point where fertilizer was not as necessary as in the past
Charles Townshend• Another major agricultural
innovator during this period was Charles Townshend
• He was a large land owner and member of Parliament
• Former Secretary of State directing British Foreign Policy
• This alone would have afforded him at least a foot note in history
• But his claim to fame really came after he retired and devoted himself entirely to farming
Turnip Townshend• In fact he is most
famously known as “Turnip Townsend”• This was because
turnips and clover were the key to his success• Using the above
crops, he was able to develop a more efficient field system that replaced the …
Three Field System• Which was the system of
crop rotation used in the Middle Ages• Two fields would be
utilized to grow crops while a third would be left fallow to allow the soil to rest and restore its nutrients• The following year a new
field would be left fallow
Four Field System• Turnip Townshend,
however, came up with a four field system that avoided the waste of a fallow field
• He would grow four crops:- Turnips (Year One)- Barley (Year Two)- Clover ( Year Three)- Wheat (Year Four)
• After this the cycle would be repeated
The Beauty of Turnips and Clover• The key to the four field system
involved the use of turnips and clover
• These crops naturally release nitrogen into the soil
• This nitrogen release meant that it was no longer necessary to have a wasted fallow field
• Suddenly, due to the four field system, farmers could produce up to four times the crop they produced before
• Turnips and clover also had the added advantage that they could be used as inexpensive fodder to feed animals over the winter
It’s time for a BBQ• Prior to the Agricultural Revolution
people did not eat much meat• Herds were only culled because
there was not enough fodder to keep the whole herd alive
• The use of the four field system now allowed farmers to feed and entire herd year round
• This led to enormous year round herds of cattle and sheep
• This, in turn, lowered the price of meat
• Suddenly because of affordability, meat became an everyday part of everyone’s diet
• Adding protein to everyone’s diet meant a healthier, more robust population
Summary of Productive Farming Advances during the Agricultural Revolution
1. Farm Consolidation2. Specialization3. Improved cultivation methods (Seed Drill/Horse Drawn Hoe)4. Fertilization5. Four field crop rotation6. Use of fodder crops such as turnips and clover7. Improved animal breeding
• All the above led to a vastly improved agricultural system• Hence, England was growing more food and needed fewer people
to do it• Furthermore, these unemployed farmers could now move to fill
the employment needs in the growing industrial cities• And this is how the Agricultural Revolution inevitably led to the
Industrial Revolution
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