Farm Work
1. Jethrow Tull’s mechanical sower (for seeds) 1708
The invention of the seed drill, 1708. After this invention, instead of workers previously inserting seeds by throwing them by hand into the ground, they now had the ability to drill a hole, insert the seed and cover it up in just one motion. This had several benefits. Prior to the creation of the Mechanical sower, due to the prevailing winds, the loss of seeds was innumerable. Secondly, when thrown by hand, the seeds weren’t spread evenly, meaning a vast majority of them were unable to grow. Additionally, more crops were able to be produced for the amount of land. It is estimated, that 5 times the number of crops were produced for exactly the same amount of land. The seed drill worked by first carving rows in the soil, and then the seeds were dropped using a container (dropped evenly). Then, a bar would run over the soil and cover them up. The sower was mostly moved by horses.
Positives
One of the significant benefits of the invention was the economic surplus that occurred, this resulted in lower food prices. As a result, even poor families could now afford to buy foods. Consequently, seeds were planted more efficiently and started to plant in larger patches of land.
Negatives
As a result of farmers wanting to expand the land where they planted seeds, this meant they had to cut down trees. Having several negative effects. Lastly, it was much faster to plant and required fewer workers. This meant that there was a decrease in jobs, and this was their only source of income.
2. The cotton gin (for cotton farming) 1793 – Eli Whitney
The cotton gin was invented in 1793, by a man named Eli Whitney. Once Whitney completed university, he was offered a job in Southern England, for teaching. On his trip down he stayed on a plantation. During his stay, Eli Whitney discovered the unnecessary work that was done by slaves when it came to cleaning the cotton, which was to be produced into a plantation. Just 1 pound would be produced in an entire day. After his discovery, he saw the opportunity. Hence, Whitney saw the need for the cotton gin to be invented. The new invention meant 4900% more cotton could be produced on a daily basis. The new invention would imitate the hand movements that would clean the cotton. First, the cotton that was picked and inserted into the topmost part of the machine. Next, the lever was to be turned. This process would insert the cotton through the wire teeth, removing the seeds. The cotton would then be removed from the wire teeth and pulled out of the machine. Therefore, meaning it was more efficient and considerably quicker than what a slave would produce.
Positives
After the cotton gin invention, the large amounts of money plantation farmers were making was ridiculous. Being a huge benefit for farmers. A lot of the money they were producing was due to the huge price of cotton. Likewise, the cotton gin was beneficial to how much cotton could be cleaned in a sh...
