Robert Bakewell (agriculturalist) facts for kids
Robert Bakewell (born May 23, 1725 – died October 1, 1795) was an English farmer who is known as one of the most important people in the British Agricultural Revolution. Besides his work in growing crops, Bakewell is famous for being the first to use a careful system of selective breeding for his livestock (farm animals). His new ideas not only made sheep, cattle, and horses better, but they also helped people understand more about how to choose traits in animals, which is called artificial selection.
Contents
Early Life and New Ideas
Robert Bakewell was born on May 23, 1725, at Dishley Grange in Leicestershire, England. When he was young, he traveled a lot in Europe and Britain. He wanted to learn about different farming methods. Important people like Prince Grigory Potemkin and François de la Rochefoucauld were interested in his work.
Bakewell supported his new breeding ideas by improving grasslands. He would flood and fertilize his pastures to make the grass better for animals to eat. He taught these methods to many other farmers. In 1783, he started The Dishley Society to share his ideas and help animal breeders. His students and other farmers, like Thomas Coke, continued to improve British livestock long after Bakewell died in 1795.
Improving Sheep
One of Bakewell's most important breeding programs was with sheep. He used local sheep and quickly chose ones that were large but had fine bones and long, shiny wool. He made the Lincoln Longwool sheep even better. From the Lincoln, he developed a new breed called the New (or Dishley) Leicester. These sheep had no horns and a strong, meaty body.
These New Leicester sheep were sent to many places, including Australia and North America. They helped create many modern sheep breeds. Even though they became less popular later, some of their original family lines still exist today as the English Leicester (or Leicester Longwool). These sheep are mostly raised for their wool.
Improving Cattle
Bakewell also worked with cattle. He bred long-horned cows with a bull from Westmoreland to create the Dishley Longhorn cattle. As more farmers followed his lead, farm animals became much bigger and better quality. For example, in 1700, an average bull sold for meat weighed about 370 pounds (168 kg). By 1786, that weight had more than doubled to 840 pounds (381 kg). However, after Bakewell's death, the Dishley Longhorn was replaced by cattle with shorter horns.
Improving Horses
Robert Bakewell also bred a type of horse called the Improved Black Cart horse. This horse later became known as the Shire horse, which is a very large and strong horse breed.
How Bakewell Influenced Darwin
Charles Darwin was a famous scientist who developed the theory of natural selection. He called Bakewell's work "artificial selection." Darwin was inspired by Bakewell's methods when he wrote his book On the Origin of Species. He used Bakewell's work to show how animals change when humans choose which ones to breed. Darwin noted that even when two groups of Bakewell's Leicester sheep were kept separate for over 50 years, they became so different that they looked like completely different types of sheep. This showed how much animals can change through careful breeding.
The New Dishley Society
Today, there is a group called The New Dishley Society. This society works to remember Robert Bakewell and the farmers who learned from him. The group wants to share knowledge about his work and how important his ideas were for improving farm animals and crop management. They also support research into the farming methods used in the 1700s and early 1800s.
See also
- Agricultural science
- Arthur Young (agriculturist)
- Blocking (statistics)
