Orden om jorden - åkerbruket beskrivet i Vallby Sörgårdens almanackor 1899 – 1969

Abstract

This thesis accounts for what kind of information about the agriculture that is described in Vallby Sörgården’s peasant diaries from 1899-1969. The thesis also describes the agricultural changes over time based on the same peasant diaries and whether these comply with the agrarian development in this part of Sweden during the same period. The method used is a form of qualitative micro study with quantitative elements, in which the so-called ”stamp collecting-method” has been used when collecting data. The peasant diaries have been transcripted and interpreted qualitatively and in the processing of the collected data, quantitative method has been used. Most information about the agriculture is about when various crops have been sowed over the years, notes about this constitutes 57% of the total number of notes about agriculture in the diaries. The thesis presents the average dates, of the 1900s, when the sowing of oat, rye and wheat and the planting of potatoes started. In second and third place is information about when the farm mowed and grinded in the mill. The changes in agriculture, which can be seen in the diaries, are what kind of crops Vallby Sörgården cultivated during the years 1917-59. Throughout the 1900s, the farm has been grain-oriented, which coincide with developments in the western Swedish plains in general. Oat has dominated the farm's arable production, in terms of number of years, during the century. Which is in line with other parts of the county where oat has taken up the largest arable area during this time. The second most cultivated crop at Vallby Sörgården during the 1900s was rye, and the third was wheat. Less important roles have potatoes, peas, flax, forage and mixed grain had among the farm´s field crops. The thesis may contribute to the historical picture of Vallby Sörgården and be added to the current knowledge about the farm’s agriculture and provide a basis for future research.