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The Royal Society advised the English government and people to cultivate the potato in 1662.
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At this time, the marches and fens were drained by England and other countries to provide arable land. Countries like the Netherlands were experts in drainage, land reclamation, and canal construction. Additionally, during this time, stable water levels allowed for earlier cattle pasturing.
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Jethro Tull was the first to promote horses instead of oxen; additionally, he also invented the seed drill, which was a more effective way to plant seeds than farmers had previously done. As the seed drill planted seeds in proper rows, crops grew much better. Moreover, it planted seeds deeper, meaning that pests could not eat the seed as easily before it germinated.
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He became aware of crop rotation and the application of turnips and clovers with it. He supported the use of turnips in crop rotation after bringing this concept back to Norfolk.
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A crop rotation technique that had a 4-year cycle without a fallow year where the field is left empty. The importance of fodder crops for feed was also emphasized.
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The Rotherham Swing plow was created by Joseph Foljambe, so named because it lacked depth wheels. Compared to other plows at the time, it was lighter and more effective.
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Although Young himself was not a particularly successful farmer, he was a crucial advocate for the modern agricultural methods used at the time. He supported developments like the seed drill, better crop rotations, and the application of marl as fertilizer.
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Thomas Coke and Robert Bakewell were pioneers in both the discovery and use of selective breeding. They employed inbreeding to eliminate genetic variability and stabilize some traits. Then, in an effort to obtain the traits they valued the most, they bred animals with favorable traits together.
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Developing a national market, goods grown locally were able to be sold across Britain, meaning that goods could be put on the "national" market.
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It involved the abolishment of the open-field system—any communal land that was available for peasants was lost, as it was sold off because the act created legislation for property rights.