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Farming Life (1900s - 1950s) |
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| A compilation of audio interview extracts detailing memories and anecdotes covering many aspects of farming life in Leicestershire in the first half of the 20th century. The wages and working conditions of farm labourers are detailed, together with their duties and skills. Life without modern conveniences is detailed, including drawing water from a pump, lighting the farmhouse with oil lamps and candles and using an earth closet as a toilet. Many contributors remember work undertaken by children, with reference to tasks in dairy farming, including milking cows and churning butter. The gradual introduction of farm machinery is traced. The replacement of scythes with grass mowers is described along with the introduction of milking machinery, steam operated thrashing machines, the replacement of horses in ploughing, and how the introduction of pneumatic tyres 1930’s made tractors extremely useful to farmwork. One man, who recalls attending lectures at the local NFU office, remembers the introduction of the first County Agricultural Advisor in the early 1920s. We hear how farmers were generally unwilling to take on new ideas and many were sceptical about what they called “farming from books”. There is an explanation of the focus in farming shifted from stock rearing to crop production during the Second World War, regulated and enforced by the local agricultural committee. There are also accounts of farm work undertaken by prisoners-of-war during this time. Detailed descriptions of activities include improvements in dairy farming, community involvement at harvest, sheep shearing, hen keeping, lambing, pig breeding, the treatment of sick animals, weather folklore and how to make the perfect haystack. One man recalls the changes he has seen to Leicester market over a fifty-year period. Other areas covered include farm accommodation, the ownership and tenancy of farms and the gradual decline in the number of farm workers. The original recording is held by the East Midlands Oral History Archive (EMOHA 00416, LO/036/C36), more information can be found at http://www.le.ac.uk/emoha/ |
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| Creators: |
Copyright Holder - East Midlands Oral History Archive
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Subject: |
Agriculture
Oral History
History
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| Contributors: |
East Midlands Oral History Archive - Funder/Sponsor
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Date created:
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01 / 01 / 1989
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Language:
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English
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Country:
Region:
City:
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United Kingdom
Leicestershire
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Rights:
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Community Media Association has non exclusive rights for the use of the work in The Showcase, but the overall copyright rests with East Midlands Oral History Archive. Copyright East Midlands Oral History Archive.
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If your browser can’t display the graphical link above to the translator, you may translate this page by going to the Babelfish website and pasting the address for this page into the box marked “Translate a web page”. |
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