Condition of agriculture Flashcards
define enclosure
The new system of dividing agricultural land into compact fields enclosed by fences, hedges or walls; it replaced the old open fild system, where land was divided into strips
What had agriculture been in Britain over the centuries previous?
The main source of income and employment
What had happened to agricultural employment levels by 1800?
Although there had been a steady increase in the number of people working on the land, in % terms it had fallen to less than 1/2 of the total labour force; meaning that for the first time in British history, more people were employed in industry than agriculture
What had happened to agricultural production by 1800?
Production levels were rising. The average worker was producing enough to feed 2.5 people, whereas a century earlier this figure had stood at 1.7. The expanding population increased the demand for food, which drove up prices. Enclosure resulted in higher crop yields and healthier livestock, which helps explain the surge in enclosures at the time
What do historians Williams and Ramsden say about enclosure?
It ‘quickened the pace of agricultural improvement’
Why was the old open field system replaced with crop rotation?
The open field system was regarded as inefficient. Enclosure allowed a system of crop rotation to be developed. This ensured that all the land could be under cultivation every year, with a good selection of crops.
List the positive agricultural developments at this time
- Root crops, like turnips, were introduced to provide winter feed for the cattle and they also put goodness back into the soil, which made it rich enough to grow wheat or corn the next year
- Spreading manure further improved soil quality
- Experiments in scientific stock breeding improved livestock quality, which allowed bigger quantities of meat to be produces
What held agricultural development back?
Mechanical improvements came comparitively slowly to farming - there was a seed drill, lighter-weight plow and horse-drawn hoe - but nothing spectacular at this time to revolutionise farming methods
Define husbandry
The cultivation and breeding of crops and animals
What do Williams and Ramsden have to say about agricultural improvements?
The process of improvement was a gradual one. There can be no doubt enclosures quickened the pace of agricultural improvement. The main innovations came from a more imaginative rotation of crops. The most disruptive effect of enclosures on village life was the shutting off of common land where customary graxing rights hepled the self sufficiency of rural households. One balance the new enclosures required more labour and not less, mostly due to the need for fencing and building activities
In what ways was enclosure a success?
- Landowners and farmers bought up more land to create bigger farms, this increased overall production and allowed them to make healthy profits
- The growing population in industrial towns had the benefit of a wider variety of fresh foods
What were the negative aspects of land enclosure?
- It emphasised inequlaity in the countryside, as more land was in the hands of fewer people and the once hardworking smallholding class virtually disappeared
- Landless agricultural labourers were employed for a pitiful wage
- Not all smallholders who sold land thrived. Some invested their capital in industrial enterprises with mixed success, but many of them drifted to the northern industrial centres, and contributed to the shift in population.
- There was sufficient work on the new farms, but the poor wages led to demoralisation and many people were forced to fall back on poor relief
