Jethro Tull (agriculturist)
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Jethro Tull (born 1674 in Basildon, Berkshire; died 21 February 1741 in Shalbourne, Berkshire) was an English agricultural pioneer during the Industrial Revolution, and the Agricultural Revolution.He was educated at St John's College, Oxford and Gray's Inn. Influenced by the early Enlightenment, Tull is considered to be one of the early proponents of a scientific (and especially empirical) approach to agriculture. He helped transform agricultural practices by inventing or improving numerous implements, the most notable being the seed drill, which he invented in 1701 when living in Crowmarsh Gifford. Before the introduction of the seed drill, seeds were sown simply by being cast upon the ground, and germinated (or failed to germinate) where they landed. The seed drill created a hole of specific depth, dropped in a seed, and covered it over, three rows at a time. The result was an increased rate of germination, and a much-improved crop yield (up to eight times[link]).
Tull advocated using horses instead of oxen, invented a horse-drawn hoe for clearing weeds, and made changes to the design of the plough which are still visible in modern versions. His interest in ploughing derived from his interest in weed control, and his belief that fertilising was unnecessary, as plants obtained nourishment exclusively from nutrients in the soil. He was aware that horse manure carried weed seeds, and hoped to avoid using it as fertiliser by pulverising the soil to enhance the availability of nutrients for plants.
Although Tull was wrong that nutrients locked up in soil could be released through pulverising it, and his inventions were sometimes considered controversial and were not widely adopted for many years, on the whole he introduced innovations which formed part of the foundation of productive modern agriculture.
Jethro Tull died in 1741 and is buried in the churchyard of St Bartholomew's church, Lower Basildon in Berkshire.
Centuries later, the name Jethro Tull would achieve even greater fame thanks to a rock band from Blackpool, England.
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