Crop Rotation development in the UK in the 16th century.
T
his topic is about the crop rotation. Crop rotation is a system of which
crop they plant each year. E.g. they would plant wheat in one, clover
in the other, oats or barley in the third and then turnips in the fourth.
Using this system, farmers were able to produce more food because
different crops would be ready at different times. Since the animals eat the
crops, the manure could be used a fertilizer.
During the crop rotation period, farmers started to fertilize land by using a
mixture of clay and lime to fertilize their land so that no fallow year would occur. This lead to an increase of more “useable” land. Farmers would also grow
fodder crops. This led to a new system of growing crops called the Four Year
Crop Rotation which was developed by Viscount Townshend in the 16th century. These fodder crops included wheat, barley, turnips and clovers. The way
this crop rotation worked was by having four fields. Wheat was grown in the
first, in the second field clover was grown, in the third field barley was grown
and in the last field, turnips were grown. Each year the crops would be grown
in different fields as shown in the image below. This helped fertilize the land
because these types of crops helped to restore the nitrogen to the soil that
they were grown in. Nitrogen is an important “plant food” for them to grow.
The manure that came from the livestock was also a good fertilizer which
helped the crops grow. Thanks to more fertilized soil, farmers no longer needed
a Fallow year. Since there was no fallow year, more crops were produced and
more money could have been made by selling those crops.
Key Vocabulary:
Fallow: Land that is left
to recover for a year.
Fodder: Dried hay or
feed, for cattle and other livestock .
Fertilizer: A chemical
or natural substance
added to soil to increase
its fertility
Viscount Townshend:
A British Whig statesman who served for a
decade as secretary of
state, directing British
foreign policy.
Left: Four Year Crop Rotation process.
Right: Viscount Townshend
The developments in crop rotation (enclosure of land, marl and clay, four
year rotation system, growing turnips, clover and barley, etc…) have
greatly improved the soil structure and fertility of the cropland since
medieval times. The introduction to the four-field crop rotation system
also led to an increase in the quantity and quality of livestock production. However, crop rotation may cause the risk of a decrease in more
valuable crops, more complex rotations are also difficult to maintain as
they require more types of crops and livestock.
What is your opinion on this system of the Four Year Crop Rotation?