New crops such as turnips, which was introduced by Charles Townshend, rape, clover, swedes and manglewurzels were good fodder for the animals, other new crops which were introduced were trefoil, lucerne and sanfoin which enriched the soil with nitrogen. These improved the quality of the soil so it was better to grow other crops on such as wheat and barley etc.
There were many methods of improving the land such as the use of dung or animal manure to fertilize the land or crushed bones which Thomas Coke used from 1770. This would help to produce bigger and better crops. Drainage such as clay pipes were used to stop the land from being too waterlogged. Marling was used to assist the water retention in sandy soils by adding clay to it this would also help the roots hold in the ground. Lime and chalk were a good way to add minerals to the soil and water meadows which was used to make the grass grow early and to enrich the soil.
Many improvements were made to machines to assist the farmers in their work. Robert Ransome invented the Rotherham plough in 1760 which was made of iron and could be pulled by horses. He also invented the harrow which was originally made of wood and used to rake and break up the lumps in the soil, this was later replaced by iron. Jethro Tull invented the seed drill which was used in 1788 by the help of Rev. James Cooke, it was an improvement because the farmers didn’t have to sow the seeds by hand, Jethro Tull also invented the horse hoe which was fixed onto a frame and drawn along by a horse, uprooting the weeds. The threshing machine, invented by Andrew Meikle in 1786 was used to separate the ears of the corn from the stalks. The winnowing machine first appeared in the 1717’s and took over from the threshing machine to separate the chaff from the grain.
Improvements made to pastoral farming during the latter half of the 18th century were called selective breeding; this was done to improve the sheep and cattle. Robert Bakewell discovered the New Leicester Sheep in 1789 which was said to produce ‘coal heaver’s mutton’, this was because of its fatty meat and muscle and its round barrel like shape. Bakewell also had an idea to improve a cow with a larger rear for beef but the meat became fatty and there wasn’t much milk, this was called the longhorn cattle. He also bred shire horses in the 1780’s. The Durham shorthorn cattle which was introduced by the Colling brothers was good for beef and milk. John Ellman improved the New Leicester sheep by making ones which were good for wool and mutton called the Southdown sheep.
All of these improvements wouldn’t have been possible if the land hadn’t been enclosed first. This enabled the farmers to experiment with crops and new rotations and do their own selective breeding as they didn’t have to do what they were told and the animals didn’t mix. Thomas Coke also invented the use of long leases for tenants which meant more money.
