Tull, Jethro

Tull, Jethro, 1674–1741, English agriculturist and inventor. He studied methods of agriculture in England, France, and Italy and influenced British agriculture through his writings, which include The Horse-Hoeing Husbandry (1733). Tull advocated the use of manures, pulverizing the soil, planting with drills, and thorough tilling during the growing period. He invented (c.1701) a mechanical drill for sowing.

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Tull, Jethro

(born 1674, Basildon, Berkshire, Eng.—died Feb. 21, 1741, Prosperous Farm, near Hungerford, Berkshire) British agronomist and inventor. He was educated at Oxford. Around 1701 he perfected a horse-drawn seed drill that economically sowed the seeds in neat rows, and later a horse-drawn hoe. He stressed the use of manure and the importance of breaking up the soil into small particles. Tull's methods, though initially attacked, were eventually adopted by many large landowners, and they helped form the basis of modern agriculture.