Tull, Jethro (1674-1741)

English agriculturist who about 1701 developed a drill that enabled seeds to be sown mechanically and spaced so that cultivation between rows was possible in the growth period. His chief work, Horse-Hoeing Husbandry, was published 1733. Tull also developed a plough with blades set in such as way that grass and roots were pulled up and left on the surface to dry. Basically the design of a plough is much the same today. Tull was born in Berkshire, studied at Oxford and qualified as a barrister, but took up farming about 1700. The seed drill was a revolutionary piece of equipment, designed to incorporate three previously separate actions into one: drilling, sowing, and covering the seeds. The drill consisted of a box capable of delivering the seed in a regulated amount, a hopper mounted above it for holding the seed, and a plough and harrow for cutting the drill (groove in the soil) and turning over the soil to cover the sown seeds.