Feeding an Expanding World
Overview
The heavy plows needed to productively till the heavy soil of northern Europe's fertile valleys were not widely adopted until the Middle Ages, when the breeding of large draft horses began. More efficient plowing and the advent of three-field crop rotation resulted in a tremendous increase in agricultural productivity by the twelfth century. With larger farms starting to cluster in the valleys, village life flourished and larger populations could be sustained. Communal government and economics, manifested in the system of feudalism, became more important in the lives of the people.
Background
In the early Middle Ages, the aratrum, a simple wooden scratch-plow, was generally used to till fields in Europe. This type of plow worked well enough for the light soils of the Mediterranean, but was not well suited for the moist, heavy soil of northern Europe. If the soil was not plowed deeply enough, seed would blow away and crops would fail to thrive.
A better type of plow had existed since ancient times, and had been described by the Roman writer Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23-79), but was not in general use. The three-piece plovum was made of iron, and usually was equipped with wheels.
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