Early live

Tull was born in Basil don, Berkshire, to Jethro Tull, Sr. and Dorothy Buck ridge, and baptised there on 30 March 1674. He grew up in Bradfield, Berkshire and matriculated at St John's College, Oxford at the age of 17, but appears not to have taken a degree. He was later educated at Gray's Inn. Tull became ill with a pulmonary disorder, and as he went in a search for a cure he travelled Europe he found himself seeking more knowledge of agriculture. Influenced by the early Age of Enlightenment, he is considered to be one of the early proponents of a scientific (and especially empirical) approach to agriculture. He helped transform agricultural practices by inventing or improving numerous implements.

Invention
Jethro Tull innovated with the seed drill, a device for sowing seeds effectively, in order to implement his ideas on how to sow sainfoin. Such a device had been suggested by John Wordage, by 1699, but there is no evidence that he had built a drill. Tull's machine was probably used by 1701. Tull also advocated the use of horses instead of oxen and invented a horse-drawn hoe for clearing weeds, and made changes to the design of the plough which are still visible in modern versions. His interest in plugming derived from his interest in weed control, and his belief that fertilizer was unnecessary, on the basis that nutrients locked up in soil could be released through pulverization. He was aware that horse manure carried weed seeds, and hoped to avoid using it as fertilize by pulverizing the soil to enhance the availability of plant nutrients.