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The Agricultural Revolution was a major turning point in history. As new technologies were brought in and better farming techniques discovered, food production increased dramatically, and the population swelled. However, innumerous workers lost their jobs as machines replaced them, resulting in a congregation of people to the cities in search of jobs.
During the Agricultural Revolution, numerous new farming techniques were discovered. The fencing off large sections of farmland to bring under the control of a sole person, or enclosure, increased farm efficiently dramatically, along with the use of crop rotation.
In crop rotation, specific types of crops are chosen to be planted on the same field, and very two to three years the crop planted is switched. This method provided reduced soil erosion and insect build up, along with the benefit of restoring soil fertility and an increased production of crops.
Better animal breeding was another contributor to the successfulness of the Agricultural Revolution. Rather then breed a large bull with a weaker cow; the best bull and cow were bred together, resulting in the production of stronger calves.
Machines were also brought in on the farms, cutting down on time and drastically increasing farm efficiency. Before, for the planting of seeds, seeds were scattered over the ground-many did not even take root. The seed drill, invented in 1701 by Jethro Tull, allowed farmers to sow seeds in evenly spaced rows and specific depths, resulting in a rise of food production.
The invention of the reaper also greatly improved food production. Invented by Cyrus McCormick, the reaper was able cut down grain much faster and more efficiently then five men. This with a multitude of other machines aided the production of food greatly, and in doing so put countless people out of work.
As new machines were created and better farming techniques used, food production soared. New technologies cut down on time and money for farmers, and were more efficient then laborers had been. At the same time though, the use of machines put workers out of their jobs, resulting in the rapid migration of large quantities of people to the cities.
 Dezcee · Thu May 07, 2009 @ 02:37am · 0 Comments |
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