Three field crop rotation began at the beginning of the 8th century. Charlemagne thought of this innovation. Under the 3 field the land was divided into 3 parts. One section was planted in the fall with winter wheat or rye. The next spring the second field was planted with other crops such as peas, lentils or beans and the third field was left fallow. The additional crops had a significant effect on the overall nutrition of the people of Northern Europe because they were mostly legumes.
The three field system is a natural evolution from the two field system of agriculture. Humans have known since ancient times that crops grow better when fields are alternately left fallow and cultivated, and also grow better when different crops are alternated in a given area.
In the early middle ages a system of agriculture known as the two field system was used to get the benefits of field and crop rotation. Farm land was divided into two halves (thus "two field"). For a given year, one half was left fallow, and the other planted with a combination if crops. Some of these crops were "winter" grains, such as wheat, rye, barley, and oats. They were planted in late fall, would germinate, and then lie dormant through the winter. The longer growing time compared to spring crops, and the availability of winter precipitation for water, would on a good year result in an abundant crop. If a winter was particularly harsh or if there were unusually heavy rains, however, the crop could be damaged or even lost entirely. To hedge against this possibility, and also to divide the work load over the course of the year, some grains were also sown in the spring, and spring crops like beans and peas were planted. Legumes (beans and peas) help return nitrogen to the soil, improving crop yields. Medieval farmers did not understand what nitrogen was, but they certainly understood that planting legumes one years and grains the next on a given plot help yield a better crop.
The three field system is a slight variation of this. Instead of dividing the fields into two parts, they were divided into three. One third was left fallow, one third was planted with a winter crop, and one third was planted with spring crops. As a result 66% of the available farm land was producing each year, instead of 50% under the two field system. The result was more food, and thus more surplus, which allowed for greater urban populations, and also more food storage, making the impact of a poor or failed crop less dire.
The three field system began to generally be introduced around the year 1000. The change was gradual and took place over a period of time, but the three field system eventually became the standard approach to agriculture in the middle ages.
A system that allows you to see the cropping pattern in each field each year.
the three field system
The three field system was neither fair nor corrupt. It was not something that can be evaluated in terms of morality or ethics. The three field system was a system for crop rotation under which one third of the land was planted in a spring planting, one third was planted with different crops for in a fall planting, and one third was left fallow. It was more efficient than the previous two field system. It supported more people with the same land use. But it had no inherent fairness or corruption associated with it.
Three-Field System
It replenished the soil by letting it rest.
Three- field system, Apex
Standing start and the three point start
The two field system has two fields use so one half was used to make barley,grain and rye. While the three field system used 2/3 of the field while the third field was layed for fallow.
A system that allows you to see the cropping pattern in each field each year.
Corn
The three field system replaced the older two field system. In the older system, half the fields were cultivated to raise a crop, and the other half were fallow. In the three field system, a third of the fields were planted with one crop in the spring, a third were planted with a different crop in the fall, and a third were fallow. Clearly, the three field system meant that the area under cultivation was increased from half the fields to two thirds of the fields. Also, the three field system implied a more diversified set of crops were being planted, and this contribute to the health of the people on the manors.
The serfs or peasants adopted the three- field system. They planted one field with grain, another with legumes, such as peas and beans, and the last was left unplanted. This system increased productivity so more food could be produced, increasing the population. :)
the three field system
A rotational system for agriculture in which one field grows grain, one grows legumes, and one lies fallow. It gradually replaced two-field system in medieval Europe.
the three-field system
The three field system was neither fair nor corrupt. It was not something that can be evaluated in terms of morality or ethics. The three field system was a system for crop rotation under which one third of the land was planted in a spring planting, one third was planted with different crops for in a fall planting, and one third was left fallow. It was more efficient than the previous two field system. It supported more people with the same land use. But it had no inherent fairness or corruption associated with it.
Three-Field System