<P> Between the 16th century and the mid-19th century, Britain saw a large increase in agricultural productivity and net output . New agricultural practices like enclosure, mechanization, four - field crop rotation to maintain soil nutrients, and selective breeding enabled an unprecedented population growth to 5.7 million in 1750, freeing up a significant percentage of the workforce, and thereby helped drive the Industrial Revolution . The productivity of wheat went up from about 19 bushels per acre in 1720 to around 30 bushels by 1840, marking a major turning point in history . </P> <P> Advice on more productive techniques for farming began to appear in England in the mid-17th century, from writers such as Samuel Hartlib, Walter Blith and others . The main problem in sustaining agriculture in one place for a long time was the depletion of nutrients, most importantly nitrogen levels, in the soil . To allow the soil to regenerate, productive land was often let fallow and in some places crop rotation was used . The Dutch four - field rotation system was popularised by the British agriculturist Charles Townshend in the 18th century . The system (wheat, turnips, barley and clover), opened up a fodder crop and grazing crop allowing livestock to be bred year - round . The use of clover was especially important as the legume roots replenished soil nitrates . </P> <P> The mechanisation and rationalisation of agriculture was another important factor . Robert Bakewell and Thomas Coke introduced selective breeding, and initiated a process of inbreeding to maximise desirable traits from the mid 18th century, such as the New Leicester sheep . Machines were invented to improve the efficiency of various agricultural operation, such as Jethro Tull's seed drill of 1701 that mechanised seeding at the correct depth and spacing and Andrew Meikle's threshing machine of 1784 . Ploughs were steadily improved, from Joseph Foljambe's Rotherham iron plough in 1730 to James Small's improved "Scots Plough" metal in 1763 . In 1789 Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies was producing 86 plough models for different soils . Powered farm machinery began with Richard Trevithick's stationary steam engine, used to drive a threshing machine, in 1812 . Mechanisation spread to other farm uses through the 19th century . The first petrol - driven tractor was built in America by John Froelich in 1892 . </P> <P> The scientific investigation of fertilization began at the Rothamsted Experimental Station in 1843 by John Bennet Lawes . He investigated the impact of inorganic and organic fertilizers on crop yield and founded one of the first artificial fertilizer manufacturing factories in 1842 . Fertilizer, in the shape of sodium nitrate deposits in Chile, was imported to Britain by John Thomas North as well as guano (birds droppings). The first commercial process for fertilizer production was the obtaining of phosphate from the dissolution of coprolites in sulphuric acid . </P>

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