author
Jethro Tull
1674–1741
A pioneering English farmer and writer, he helped change the way crops were planted and cultivated in the early 1700s. His practical ideas about seed drills, horse-hoeing, and careful tillage helped shape the Agricultural Revolution in Britain.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Berkshire in 1674, Jethro Tull became one of the best-known agricultural reformers of his age. Although he studied at Oxford and was called to the bar, he turned his attention to farming, where observation and experiment mattered more to him than convention.
He is best remembered for improving the seed drill and promoting the use of horse-drawn hoes, arguing that crops should be planted in neat rows so the soil between them could be worked more efficiently. These ideas were set out in his influential book Horse-Hoeing Husbandry, which helped spread his methods far beyond his own land.
Not every theory he held was correct, but his determination to test new techniques made him a key figure in the story of modern agriculture. He died in 1741, and his name remains closely tied to the agricultural changes that transformed Britain in the 18th century.