06 July 2012

Agricultural Records in Britain: 20th-century events

Continuing with some 20th century entries I found more interesting in the book Agricultural Records in Britain: A.D. 220 - 1977, by Stratton and Brown.

1900: Pleuro-pneumonia of cattle eradicated about this date.
1910: The King Edward potato introduced. At this date 90% of the land of England and Wales was cultivated by tenant farmers.
1912: The first sugar beet factory in England was established at E in the Norfolk.
1917: Corn production act passed, guaranteeing minimum price for wheat and oats had a minimum wage for farm laborers. Agricultural wages Board set up.
1922: Serious outbreak of foot and mouth disease (and following two years). Summertime Act passed.
1929: The last Sussex team of oxen (Buthirling Manor, East Dean, Sussex) was dispersed.
1934: Milk first supplied free to schoolchildren.
1936: Formation of the British Sugar Corporation. Passing of the Tithe Commutation Act.
1939: At the outbreak of war, Britain was importing over 70% of its food.
1941: Combine drills began to be used in Britain.
1947: Harry Ferguson, in conjunction with the Standard Motor Company, began making tractors equipped with hydraulic three-point linkage.
1948 Selective weed killers for cereals were introduced.
1952: Serious outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Scotland, and of anthrax among pigs in England.
1953 Myxomatosis first appeared among rabbits in England and spread rapidly the following year.

The book continues to 1977 with much longer items for each year including reproductions of summaries for the year from The Times.

If you'd like to explore British weather history try http://booty.org.uk/booty.weather/climate/histclimat.htm


No comments: