Agricultural Revolution PDF

AGRARIAN REVOLUTION The term "Agrarian Revolution'" implies the great changes that took place in the agricultural methods of England during the second half of the seventeenth century and the first half of the eighteenth century. Causes The...

AGRARIAN REVOLUTION The term "Agrarian Revolution'" implies the great changes that took place in the agricultural methods of England during the second half of the seventeenth century and the first half of the eighteenth century. Causes The causes for the revolution were many: First of all the old open field system was wasteful of land because, according to this arrangement, every year one of the three fields was to be out of cultivation. Secondly, the old system of distribution of land was wasteful of time. A farmer's holdings were scattered and so he had to walk considerable distances to reach the remoter strips of his land. Thirdly, there was the necessity of conforming to the customs of the village and this made experiments in agricultural methods impossible. In the eighteenth century population was increasing and so more food was needed. But the yield could not be enlarged under the old system of cultivation The growth of the population also brought the expansion of large industrial towns which had to be supplied with food. This 'commercial attitude' was encouraged by a growing number of farming societies and even industrialists invested money in agriculture, sensing that they had a good chance of obtaining a profitable return During this period transport was radically improved. First the turnpike roads, then canals, and finally the railways, permitted farmers to transport their products to towns. Developments Enclosure Act Enclosure meant joining the strips of the open fields to make larger compact units of land. These units were then fenced or hedged off from the next person's land. Thus a farmer had his land together in one farm rather than in scattered strips. For the reallocation of lands in consolidated blocks which could be enclosed, a number of Enclosure Acts were passed in the reign of George II and George IlI. When an Enclosure Act was passed a commissioner was appointed to visit the village concerned and carry out the work of reallocating the land.  There were many cases of the poor peasants being not satisfied with the reallocation. Such people sold away their small holdings to wealthy businessmen of the city who were eager to possess the Iands of their own. The final result of this tendency was that he class or rural inhabitants known as yeomen disappeared. Estimate With the advent of the enclosure system the English banking system also grew, for even the wealthy landlords did not have enough money to do the fencing and to effect other improvements. So they had to borrow money from the banks. One of the advantages of the enclosure system was that it gave scope for many enterprising people to make experiments. Because of the enclosure system many small independent farmers had to sell their lands. They either became paid labourers or went to the cities, hoping to get employment. But they were disappointed. Machinery One such person who made some pioneering work in the field of agricultural improvement was Jethro Tull of Berkshire. Jethro Tull Jethro Tull (1674-1740) experimented with farming on a scientific basis. He invented a Seed Drill that would distribute the seeds evenly in rows, over a large piece of land. He also emphasized the necessity of careful selection of seed if good crops were to be obtained. It appears that Tull invented a seed-drill whilst at Howberry. He was unhappy with the normal 'broadcasting' method and his machine was in tended to sow seeds in straight rows at at the same depth. However, he was not the first man to devise a seed-drill; this had originally been achieved by John Worlidge in 1669. Tull published a number of books and pamphlets describing his approach to farming, the most famous being 'The Horse Hoeing Husbandry' (or' An Essay on the Principles of Tillage and Vegetation') in 1733. Joseph Foljambe In 1730 the 'Rotherham' plough was introduced. It was mainly used in the north of England and had an iron share and coulter. credit for its invention is often ascribed to Joseph Foljambe of Rotherham. As this plough was smaller it needed fewer oxen to pull it. It was later modified by James Small of Blackadder in Berwick shire. Others In 1785 Robert Ransome founded a factory in Ipswich to make agricultural machinery. He made, amongst other things, cast iron plough shares. Andrew Meikle produced the first practical threshing machine in 1784 Patrick Bell invented a cumber some reaping machine in 1826. Agricultural Technology During the eighteenth century more farmers began to grow a greater variety of crops. Root crops such as parsnips, swedes and mangolds were popularised. Leaf crops and grasses, such as lucerne and clover were also grown to good effect. This trend reflected the growing demand for fresh meat. These 'new' crops were all fodder crops and they enabled British farmers to produce and fatten livestock. Animals could be 'folded' on the actual field. Charles Townshend Another pioneer was Walpole's brother-in-law, Charles Townshend of Norfolk. The discovery of a new method of 'Crop Rotation' was made by Viscount Townshend (1674-1738). This enabled one to keep land always under cultivation, without letting it lie idle for a season. This helped to double the yield per acre. He introduced the Norfolk or four-course rotation of turnips, barley, cloves and rye- grass and wheat. These measures prevented unproductive fallow and enabled him to carry more stock on his lands, and more stock meant more manure, which in its turn led to still better crops and therefore to still more stock. Year 1. Wheat (a soil exhausting crop) Year 2. Clover (a soil enriching crop) Year 3. Barley/Oats (soil exhausting crops) Year 4. Turnips (a soil cleaning crop) Thomas Coke The work of Townshend was continued by Thomas Coke of Holkham in Norfolk. He followed the precepts of Tull and in addition fed the soil with manures including bones. As a matter of fact, he was one of the first farmers to use bones as manure.  In nine years time he was able to grow excellent wheat crops, and by means of cloves and other roots was able to make his land carry three times as many as sheep and cattle. He also introduced new artificial foods such as oil-cake and led the way In fattening cattle for the London markets. He held yearly meeting of farmers cattle for the London markets. He held yearly meeting of farmers at his house, and at these meetings farming topics were discussed and much advice was given and received. He changed the appearance of the countryside by planting trees upon his land. Advances in Animal Breeding Methods Robert Bakewell Robert Bakewell was revolutionising English methods of stock breeding Up to this time sheep had been valued chiefly for their for their time wool, the production of mutton had been only secondary Bakewell was the first to turn his attention to the production of meat as the main consideration of stock breeders. He found through experiments, that by selective breeding of farm animals, he could improve the quality of cattle, horses and sheep He produced the New Leicester sheep by using selective or 'in-and-in' breeding where parent and off-spring were mated. This particular breed was quick to fatten but the meat con tained a deal of fat; the fleece also tended to be coarse. Bakewell also produced the Longhorn cattle and a distinctive breed of black carthorses. John Ellman John Ellman of Glynde used in-and-in breeding to produce an improved version of the Southdown sheep. This breed was noted for its fine quality mutton and it could be folded on turnips. Other At Ketton, Charles and Robert Colling developed the Durham Shorthorn cattle which gave lean meat and large quantities of milk. George Culley of Northumbria was also successfully breeding Shorthorn cattle at the same time as the Colling brothers Other Initiatives Arthur Young Royal patronage was also given to the movement of the revolutionising agricultural methods.  George the affectionately known to his subjects as Farmer George, established, a model farm at Windsor. The King was a keen farmer, knew Arthur Young, and contributed articles to the Annals of Agriculture. He practised the new methods on the Royal Estate at Windsor and in doing so gave them the Royal seal of approval. Much of the success of the movement was due to the writings of agricultural writers, the most famous of whom was Arthur Young. Between 1763 and 1766 Young farmed at Bradfield, Suffolk, and Sandford Hall, Essex. He was not very successful and decided to devote his time to writing about agriculture Young was a staunch supporter of the new husbandry and the enclosures. Among his publications were 'A SixWeeks Tour through the Southern Counties' (1768), 'The Farmer's Calendar' (1771) and, between 1784 and 1804, he was the editor of the magazine, 'The Annals of Agriculture'. In 1793 Young was appointed Secretary to the newly-formed Board of Agriculture. Its purpose was to encourage farmers to adopt good practices so that increased amounts of food could be produced during the war against France. Young also helped to undertake a systematic survey of the agriculture of the country William Marshall William Marshall (1754-1818) Born at Sinnington, North Yorkshire, Marshall equalled Young in the production of farming literature. His main book work was A General Survey of the Rural Economy of England. The first volume, dealing with Norfolk, was published in 1787. It was Marshall, in fact, who suggested that the Board of Agriculture should be set up. Nature The word 'revolution' implies rapid, violent change. We have seen that new crops, rotations, selective breeding and new machines were, on the whole, gradually adopted. G. E. Fussell states that most farmers remained 'steadfast in their adherence' to traditional methods. Furthermore, many of the methods which claimed to be new to the eighteenth century in fact dated back to earlier periods.