... the use of turnips as fodder as an addition to traditional rotational crops. Robert Bakewell (1725-1795) pioneered selective breeding and developed quick-fattening sheep for mutton. Thomas Coke (1752-1842) set out to educate farmers in new methods. He initiated agricultural shows and encouraged his tenant farmers to improve their methods by granting them long leases. The real achievement of all of them was the publicity their innovations attracted. These new ideas spread slowly. Many had originated in Holland and taken root in Norfolk and the eastern counties. There was however a marked difference between the east and west of England. The potential for progress was greater on the eastern sandy soil. In the west the lighter soil was found on higher ground and once it could be fertilised cereals could be grown there more cheaply than on the heavy clays of the lowland areas which required more labour-intensive ploughing. On lower ground ...

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