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People found a more effective way to restore a field's fertility
Fallow, or the act of leaving a field ploughed but not seeded was a was to let a field regain nutrients. This was widely used but people found that turnips and other light feeders were more effective at replenishing a field's nutrition and nitrogen, and began becomeing more widely used after 1700. More than 20% of all land used for agriculture were tallow in 1700. -
Seed drill invented
The seed drill, invented by English Agriculturalist Jethro Tull, increased the efficiency in which plants could be sowed. -
four course crop rotation invented
previously a 3 course rotation was used in china way back in 770 bc, but the method involving 4 rotations was more effective 1 of the fields would grow weeds or a grazing cop, and livestock were allowed to graze there and fertilize the field with their excrements. Other fields were alternating between nitrogen draining crops and crops that replenish soil nutrition -
Joseph Foljambe's cast iron plough was patented
Initially, the iron plough was adapted by the Dutch from a Chinese invention, but Foljambe's creation were made with a plate of iron on the mouldboard. it was also cheap to produce. in 1770 the plough was widely used throughout Scotland, France, and the Americas. -
Annal of Agriculture founded
Arthur young, an Agriculturist, began writing a journal called the Annal of Agriculture, within which he explored and experimented with practices to find better ways to grow crops. a full list can be found at https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/annals-of-agricultural-sciences/about/aims-and-scope -
Selective breeding became widely used
The first examples of selective breeding dated tens of thousands of years ago, but selective breeding was only widely used after the 18th century. Selective breeding allowed favorable genetics to be combined with another set of favorable genes and hopefully produce something favorable. -
Enclosure act
Enclosure was the act of taking publicly owned land and claiming it for government use, mostly agriculture.
Riots ensued where the public protested against being prevented to access the land
The enclosure act of 1801 stated that farmers or agricultural workers who worked on the land would own the land -
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Child labour became widely used in Britain
Higher productivity in fields allowed young children to work less in farms and more in factories.
Children would also work in fields for cheap labour
During 1820 and 1870 child labor was common until it was outlawed in factories in 1833 and mines in 1842 -
Chemical fertilizers were
An English entrepreneur called John Bennet Lawes began testing different kinds of manures on crops to see how to maximize productivity. He was one of the first people to experiment with chemicals in plants. -
Artificial fertilizer patented
The aforementioned John Bennet Lawes succeeded in his endeavor to develop a chemical fertilizer.
More potent than the manure used at the time, Lawes created the chemical fertilizer with a mixture of phosphorus, manure and sulfuric acid. He later went on to develop an industry and factories producing these substances. -
Garton's agricultural plant breeders in England established
This group was founded by John garton. He was the first person to commercialize new species and crossbreeds of many crops.
He experimented with cross pollination to make this possible -
Ley farming became widely used
this is method of farming where farmland is converted into grass plants known as leys.
This was because a higher portion of the land needed to be utilised to support livestock in the years 1940-1960
like the 3 field crop rotation system of china, the livestock would fertilize the field and eat the weeds growing.
