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.

Tull was educated at St John's College, Oxford and Gray's Inn. Influenced by the early Age of Enlightenment, he 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 while living in Crowmarsh Gifford. Before the seed drill was introduced, seeds were sown simply by being cast upon the ground, to germinate (or fail to germinate) where they landed. The seed drill significantly improved this process, by creating a hole of specific depth, dropping in a seed, and covering 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[1]).

Tull also advocated the use of horses over 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, on the basis that nutrients locked up in soil could be released through pulverisation. Although he was incorrect in his belief that plants obtained nourishment exclusively from such nutrients, 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 plant nutrients.

Tull's inventions were sometimes considered controversial and were not widely adopted for many years, however on the whole he introduced innovations which contributed to the foundation of productive modern agriculture.

Tull is buried in the churchyard of St Bartholomew's church, Lower Basildon in Berkshire.

Centuries later, "Jethro Tull" would again rise to prominence as the name of a 1960s rock band from Blackpool, England (see Jethro Tull (band)).