Page 30 - 100 Events That Made History
P. 30
Agricultural
revolution Townshend came
to be nicknamed
A crop of new ideas leads to “Turnip Townshend.”
a BOOM in food production
Tull’s seed drill cut
furrows in the soil
before sowing. Seed spreader
Farmers used to scatter Cream of the crop
seed on their fields by
In the 1700s, England tried a
hand, which was slow
new crop system, devised by
and wasteful. In 1701,
politician Charles Townshend.
Englishman JETHRO
Wheat, barley, turnips, and clover
TULL invented a seed
were grown in a different field
drill machine. Drawn
every year in a four-year cycle.
by a horse, this
The ROTATION meant healthy
contraption dropped
soil and big harvests. Cattle
the seeds in neat rows.
were grazed in some fields to
add extra fertilizer!
How it changed Pastures new Longhorn cattle were
The new ideas in farming meant that
The Agricultural
The beefy Dishley
Revolution increased the
less people were needed to work the
efficiency of farming,
specially bred to
and led to larger hauls land. In England, a NEW LAW let a growing population.
landowners fence off land for their
provide more meat for
of crops and meat.
private farms. With farmland being
the world snapped up, and fewer people needed
in the countryside, many moved to the
28 cities to make a living.
