LF2070 Sowing SeedsEarly planting was done by hand. The seeds would be thrown, or broadcast. This system made it more difficult to weed and harvest the crop. Later a dibber was used for some crops. A dibber was a board with holes evenly spread apart. A stick would be pushed through the holes and then a seed would be placed in the hole made by the stick. This was very effective but also very tedious and time consuming. The idea for dropping seeds through a tube first appeared in Mesopotamia about 1500 B. C. In 1701 Jethro Tull invented the first seed drill. The implement would cut small channels into the soil and the seed would be dropped into the channel. Before this time seeds were usually planted by a method known as broadcasting. Broadcasting is simply throwing seeds onto the ground. The seed drill had many advantages to the broadcasting system. First a much higher percentage of seed came to produce crops. Less seed was lost to birds or other animals. Finally, with rows, it was much easier for the farmer to weed his crop. Jethro Tull's invention was met with skepticism and not really appreciated or accepted till after his death in 1741. (14F)
Reaping the CropStory
of Farming
|
Grad Degree in History |
|
Want to Study Abroad? |
Cultures - Time Periods
Prehistory | Africa
| China | Egypt
| Greece | Mesopotamian
| Roman
Aztec - Olmec
| Mayan | Native
American
Middle Ages | World
War II | Home
Site Map Privacy Policy Disclaimer Awards
Images Copyrighted by Historylink101.com & found at Story of Farming
Copyright © 2000-2008 All Rights Reserved by Eric Rymer.
Contact Us: Suggest a Site - General Comments