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