Page 327 - Panjek, Aleksander, Jesper Larsson and Luca Mocarelli, eds. 2017. Integrated Peasant Economy in a Comparative Perspective: Alps, Scandinavia and Beyond. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 327
and and labour as resources of an integrated peasant economy in a swedish district
tered, and one of the two horses sold, either as another source of income or
because too little hay had been harvested. Instead, Erik borrowed a horse
from neighbours or relatives when he needed one.
Erik re-employed his farmhand in November 1867, but when the farm-
hand had to quit working already in December due to sickness, no new
farmhand was hired. Instead Erik was able to engage his brother to work
with charcoal delivery and logging for new kilns from December until
March, alongside with their father. On 3rd May Erik hired a young “sum-
mer farmhand” until the end of October, a cheaper solution than to hire a
fully grown farmhand on a yearly basis. After that, no new farmhand was
employed until January 1871, possibly for economic reasons caused by in-
creased costs for cereals and reduced income from milk.
In spite of very low hay yields in 1868, even fewer hay meadows were
cut this year. Perhaps the growth was too meagre in the dry hills to be
harvested at all, or did Erik choose to allocate the labour to preparing
six new charcoal kilns. Another cow was slaughtered in October 1868 in
order to adapt to the scarcity of winter fodder, and the number of cows
was thus reduced from six to three in two years. Despite this, the win-
ter fodder was barely enough, which is why leaves were collected in the
autumn of 1868 and lichens and other types of emergency fodder in the
spring of 1869. On 31st March he wrote: “Give God, that it will be sum-
mer soon, so we can let out the cattle, as there is a general shortage of
fodder.”
Forest pasture was a plentiful resource at Backåkers and enabled an
extra income from April 1869, when horses and cattle from other villages
and nearby towns were taken to graze for a fee.
From February 1869, the snow melted and the transportation of char-
coal out of the forest was temporarily stopped. This, in combination with
falling prices on charcoal, eventually made the farm’s main alternative re-
source and income insufficient. Despite all efforts, Erik Johansson was
forced in to bankruptcy in March 1870. However, by selling land to a neigh-
bour farmer and bringing about a favourable chord with creditors, the fam-
ily could stay on the farm. Erik’s family used their social network in a dif-
ficult economic situation and managed to keep the farm within the family.
4.2.2 Matses – business as usual
The agricultural production at Matses was obviously affected in simi-
lar ways as at Backåkers, but the poor yields of grains in 1867 and hay
325
tered, and one of the two horses sold, either as another source of income or
because too little hay had been harvested. Instead, Erik borrowed a horse
from neighbours or relatives when he needed one.
Erik re-employed his farmhand in November 1867, but when the farm-
hand had to quit working already in December due to sickness, no new
farmhand was hired. Instead Erik was able to engage his brother to work
with charcoal delivery and logging for new kilns from December until
March, alongside with their father. On 3rd May Erik hired a young “sum-
mer farmhand” until the end of October, a cheaper solution than to hire a
fully grown farmhand on a yearly basis. After that, no new farmhand was
employed until January 1871, possibly for economic reasons caused by in-
creased costs for cereals and reduced income from milk.
In spite of very low hay yields in 1868, even fewer hay meadows were
cut this year. Perhaps the growth was too meagre in the dry hills to be
harvested at all, or did Erik choose to allocate the labour to preparing
six new charcoal kilns. Another cow was slaughtered in October 1868 in
order to adapt to the scarcity of winter fodder, and the number of cows
was thus reduced from six to three in two years. Despite this, the win-
ter fodder was barely enough, which is why leaves were collected in the
autumn of 1868 and lichens and other types of emergency fodder in the
spring of 1869. On 31st March he wrote: “Give God, that it will be sum-
mer soon, so we can let out the cattle, as there is a general shortage of
fodder.”
Forest pasture was a plentiful resource at Backåkers and enabled an
extra income from April 1869, when horses and cattle from other villages
and nearby towns were taken to graze for a fee.
From February 1869, the snow melted and the transportation of char-
coal out of the forest was temporarily stopped. This, in combination with
falling prices on charcoal, eventually made the farm’s main alternative re-
source and income insufficient. Despite all efforts, Erik Johansson was
forced in to bankruptcy in March 1870. However, by selling land to a neigh-
bour farmer and bringing about a favourable chord with creditors, the fam-
ily could stay on the farm. Erik’s family used their social network in a dif-
ficult economic situation and managed to keep the farm within the family.
4.2.2 Matses – business as usual
The agricultural production at Matses was obviously affected in simi-
lar ways as at Backåkers, but the poor yields of grains in 1867 and hay
325
