Agriculture in History

1. Agriculture in History Intro. To Agriscience Unit 1, Section B Mrs. Martin 2012-2013

2. George Washington Carver • Born: Early 1864 • Died: January 5, 1943 • Was an emancipated slave who worked at the agricultural extension of the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. • Taught former slaves farming techniques for self-sufficiency. • Widely credited in American public schools and culture for inventing hundreds of uses for peanuts and other plants to increase profitability of farming.

3. John Deere • January 7, 1804 – May 17, 1886 • American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded “Deere and Company (one of the largest agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the World). • Born in Rutland, VA – Son of William Deere. Raised by his mother in Middlebury, VT after father disappeared en route to London. Received Elementary School education in VT. • Served a 4 year blacksmith apprenticeship and entered into his trade in 1825. • 1827: Married Demarius Lamb, had 4 children by 1836 with a 5th on the way.

4. John Deere - Continued • Business not doing well and Deere was having trouble with his creditors. Filing bankruptcy, Deere sold shop to his father-in-law and left for Illinois. • He left his wife and children behind on the journey with the intention that they would join back up with him at a later time. • Deere settled in Grand Detour, Illinois. There were no blacksmiths in the area and Deere had no trouble finding work. • He discovered that cast iron plows were not working well in tough prairie soil.

5. John Deere - Continued • Deere came to the conclusion that a plow made of highly polished steel and a correctly shaped moldboard (the self-scouring steel plow) would better be able to handle the soil conditions of the prairie – ESPECIALLY sticky clay. • 1837: Deere developed and manufactured his first cast-steel plow. Whether or not he was the 1st to do so is a matter of dispute. • 1843: Deere partnered with Leonard Andrus to produce more plows to keep up with demand.

6. John Deere - Continued • 1848: Deere dissolved the partnership with Andrus and moved to the transportation hub of Moline, IL near the Mississippi River. • 1855: Over 10,000 such plows were sold by Deere’s factory. • From the beginning, Deere insisted on making high quality equipment. • Quote: “I will never put my name on a product that does not have in it the best that is in me.” • As business improved, Deere left the day-to-day operations to son, Charles. • 1868: Deere incorporated his business as “Deere & Company”.

7. John Deere - Continued • Later in life, Deere focused most of his attention on civil and political affairs. • Served as President of the National Bank of Moline • Director of the Moline Free Public Library • Active member of the First Congressional Church • Served as Mayor of Moline for 2 years. • Died at home on May 17, 1886. • The company’s current slogan is • “Nothing Runs Like a Deere” • First steel plow sometimes referred to as“The Sod Buster” • The plow was meant to be hitched to 1 or more draft animals with the farmer holding onto handles and guiding the plow.

8. Eli Whitney December 8, 1765 – January 8, 1825 • American inventor and manufacturer. • Born in Westborough, Mass. • Son of a farmer • Graduated from Yale College 1792, was elected Phi Beta Kappa. • January 6, 1817: Married Henrietta Edwards; they had 4 children. • Died in New Have, CT. • Most known for: • making upland short cotton profitable • inventing the cotton gin • designing and manufacturing muskets for the government.

9. Henry FordJuly 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947 • Founder of the Ford Motor Company and the father of the modern assembly line used in mass production. • His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. • Sole owner of the Ford Motor Company; became one of the richest and best known people in the World. • Credited with “Fordism”: The mass production of large numbers of inexpensive automobiles using the assembly line, coupled with high wages for workers. • Notably: The $5.00/day pay scale adopted in 1914.

10. Henry Ford - Continued • Poorly educated but had a global vision and believed that consumerism was the key to peace. • One of the World’s leading pacifists in WWI, but turned the company into a major producer of war materials in both world wars. • Had an intense commitment to lowering costs: • Resulted in numerous experiments and innovations • Franchise system that put a dealership in every city in North America and in major cities on 6 continents.

11. Henry Ford - Continued • Arch rival, General Motors jumped ahead in the 1920’s • Offered more options to consumers • Power • Prestige • Styling • Convenient financing plans. • Upon death – Ford left most of his wealth to the Ford Foundation, but arranged for his family to permanently control the company.

12. Thomas Alva EdisonFebruary 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931 • American inventor and businessman; dubbed “The Wizard of Menlo Park” by a newspaper reporter. • Was one of the 1st inventors to apply the principles of mass production to the process of invention. • Can therefore be credited with the invention of the 1st industrial research laboratory. • Some “inventions” were not his originally, but were improvements to existing/earlier inventions or were actually created by his numerous employees under his direction. • Considered one of the most prolific inventors in history • Holds 1,097 U.S. patents in his name, as well as many others in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.

13. JethroTull1674 – February 21, 1741 • We are not talking about the leader of the rock band “JethroTulll” from Blackpool, England. • Born in Basildon, Berkshire & died in Shalbourne • Was an English agricultural pioneer during the Industrial Revolution and the Agricultural Revolution. • Educated at St. John’s College, Oxford and Gray’s Inn. • Influenced by the early enlightenment. • Considered to be one of the early proponents of a scientific (and especially empirical) approach to agriculture. • Helped transform agricultural practices by inventing or improving numerous agricultural implements • Most notable: Seed drill – Invented in 1701 when living in Crowmarsh Gifford.

14. JethroTull - Continued • Before the Seed Drill – • Seeds were sewn simply by being cast upon the ground. • They either germinated (or failed to germinate) where they landed. • Seed drill created a hole of a specific depth, dropped in a seed, and covered it over – Three (3) rows at a time. • Resulted in an increased rate of germination and much improved crop yield • Up to 8 time more!

15. JethroTull - Continued • Advocated using horses instead of oxen • Invented a horse-drawn hoe for clearing weeds • Made changes to the design of the plough which is still visible in modern versions. • Interest in plowing derived from his interest in weed-control and his belief that fertilizing was unecessary, as plants obtained nourishment exclusively from nutrients in the soil. • He was aware that horse manure carried weed seeds • Hoped to avoid using it as fertilizer by pulverizing the soil to enhance the availability of nutrients for plants.

16. JethroTull - Continued • Tull was wrong about beating up the soil… • Nutrients were not “locked up” in the soil and could not be “released” by pulverizing it. • His inventions were sometimes controversial and were not widely adopted for many years. • He introduced innovations which formed part of the foundation of productive modern agriculture. • Tull is buried in the churchyard at St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral in Lower Basildon, Bershire.

17. Andrew Meikle1719 – November 27, 1811 • Early mechanical engineer • Credited with inventing the threshing machine (~1786) • Used for removing the outer husks from grains of wheat, etc… Occasionally known as a “thrashing machine”. • Regarded as one of the key developments of the British Agricultural Revolution in the late 18th Century. • Circa 1772: Invented windmill “spring sails” • Replaced the simple canvas designs previously used with sails made from a series of shutters that could be operated by levers • Allowed windmill sails to be quickly and safely controlled in the event of a storm.