The Agricultural Revolution (1700’s)
During the 1700’s agriculture began to change drastically. That time period is now called the agricultural revolution. There were many changes in agricultural methods due to mechanization at that time.
Many Farmers at this time began discovering new methods of farming. They searched for ways to use more grain and not waste as much and also for ways to get better yields. They also discovered new ways to plow and these ways of plowing also help drainage, so land that was previously unusable and swampy could now be used. (wikipedia.org)
Agriculture in England in the early 1700’s was mainly subsistence farming, which meant that families produced only enough to feed their family and livestock. Gradually this began to change as new method and new inventions came about that enabled farmers to produce more.
Since the waste of seed was becoming a problem for farmers, a man called Jethro Tull invented a machine called the Seed Drill. The seed drill "... deposited seeds in rows rather then scattering them wastefully over the land." (World History: Connections to Today,)
Also farmers began to mix different types of soil to increase the nutrients and bring in more crops. Others used fertalizers and some tried crop rotations. Also, irrigation was improved and more effort went into breeding cattle and controling pests and insects. As well as the improvement of produce and herds, farming implements also became better because instead of just wood they were now being made of metal, which helped to strengthen them. All these new methods improved the harvest and yeild. (www.yale.edu/)
All of this improvement lead to the enclosure movement. This was where wealthy land owners took over common land and farmed it as well as their own. This put alot of farmers out of work and many of these farmers moved to the cities in order to find jobs. This is how the agricultural revolution led to the industrial revolution. With all the farmers looking for jobs, many of them started to work in factories.
Works Cited
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Ellis, Elisabeth G., and Anthony Esler. World History: Connections to Today, The Modern Era. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.
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Outman, James L., Elizabeth M. Outman. "The Revolution Begins: Steam Engines, Railroads, and Steamboats." The Industrial Revolution: Almanac. Thomson Gale: Farmington Hills, MI, 2003.
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