THE AGRICULTURAL

REVOLUTION

The Agricultural Revolution

From:

• Lots of farmers• Most people farm• Poorly used land• Hand tools• Not much food

To:

• Very few farmers• Many work in factories• Better used land• Machines• Plenty of food

Farming in the Middle Ages• Manual labour (basic tools)• Shared labour• Common land / Open fields• Three field system• Gleaning by the poor

CHANGES IN AGRICULTUREDURING THE

AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION1. Bigger Farms

a. Enclosuresb. Land Reclamation

2. Better Equipment a. Machines

3. Better Techniquesa. Crop Rotationb. Selective Breeding

1. BIGGER FARMSa. ENCLOSURES

• Enclosing land meant put hedges, fences, or stone walls around farms to claim the land and keep people and animals out.

1a. ENCLOSURES• Small, individually

owned farms were bought or taken away from poorer farmers and turned into large enclosed farms owned by a richer farmer.

AFTER• Each landowner

received a single piece of property• No common lands

Before• Each person got some

good and some bad land.

• There was common land.

1a. ENCLOSURES

Small FarmersWere Forced off Their Land

• Had to pay for :Fences/Walls to surround their farmsA team of oxen

• Could no longer glean or gather wood• Often had to sell plots to large

landowners:Forced to Rent orWork for someone else

Map of Land

Enclosed by Parliament

Example: the Highland Clearances in Scotland

• Sometimes land was just taken from people because they could not prove ownership.

• This increased the number of people looking for work.

Enclosures BenefitedLarge Land Owners

• They had the political strength to pass the enclosure law

• They owned large unified farms under this system which meant:Farming was more efficientDidn’t need consent of the village to

experiment with new crop methodsCould obtain cheap labour

1b. LAND RECLAMATION

• In addition to enclosures, farms also increased in size because of land reclamation:– Marshlands were drained– Forests were cleared– Poor soil was enriched and used more

2. BETTER EQUIPMENT: MACHINES OF THE

AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION

• Labour on farms had always been done by hand. This was harder to do now with bigger farms.

• Farmers with large farms were earning more money, and now they were more interested in investing in machines

• Invented by Jethro Tull• Planted seed in neat

rows• Improved germination

by making furrows, dropping seed into them, and covering them

• Reduced amount of seed used in planting

Examples of Additional Machines

Horse-drawn cultivator – Jethro Tull

Examples of Additional Machines

Cast-iron plow (1797) – American Charles Newbold

Examples of Additional Machines

Reaper – Englishman Joseph Boyce (1799) and American Cyrus McCormick (1834)

3. BETTER TECHNIQUES:a. CROP ROTATION

• People learned that crops could be rotated to improve the nitrogen in the soil instead of just leaving land fallow.

Wheat

Clover

Barley

Turnips

CROP ROTATION

CROP ROTATION

• Use of Clover and Turnips fixed nitrogen in the soil while also providing food for animals

• Yields of Wheat and Barley proved to be better than Rye, especially with the improved nitrogen levels in the soil

3. BETTER TECHNIQUES:b. SELECTIVE BREEDING

• Farmers began the selective breeding of animals such as sheep and cattle

• Produced better animals with better offspring

• Produced more milk, meat, and wool

Summary:Agricultural Revolutions Need

Bigger Farms• Enclosures• Land Reclamation

Better Equipment• Machines

Better Techniques• Crop Rotation• Selective Breeding

THE SPREAD OF THE AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION

• The Agricultural Revolution began in Britain, in the early 1700s.

• It soon spread to other countries. In Northern Europe, it took place in the mid-1700s.

• In America, the A.R. took place in the second half of the 1700s.

1. Agricultural production increased.2. Cost of food dropped.3. Increased production of food helped

create a rapid growth of population.4. Large farms, using machines and scientific

methods, began to dominate agriculture. Farming became big business.

Of the Agricultural Revolution

5. The number of small farms began to decline.

6. The number of farmers decreased sharply.7. Many farmers moved to the cities.8. The population of cities increased rapidly.

Of the Agricultural Revolution