The Rural Voice, 2002-12, Page 22'May Christmas Fill
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18 THE RURAL VOICE
The land was fertilized with wood
ashes, the blood of slaughtered
animals, oil scum and house and
farmyard refuse. Manure was applied
around the roots of trees. There are
some Bible passages that refer to
clearing stubble from fields by fire,
probably creating ash for fertilizer.
Most of the moisture for growing
crops came during the winter season
but the April showers were so
important for filling up the heads of
grain that an old proverb declared "A
shower in April is worth more than a
plow and a yoke of oxen."
Harvest season for barley
began in April. Wheat was
harvested in early June and
fruits like figs, olives and grapes
were harvested in September.
Crops, particularly pulse crops,
might be harvested by pulling them
out by the roots. Grain was
sometimes dug up with a hoe,
thereby working up the soil for the
next crop. Generally, however, iron
sickles were used to cut the grain.
Handfuls of grain were tied into
sheaves with their own straw and
later transported to the barns or
threshing floors using wagons for
larger quantities, baskets and
panniers tied to asses for smaller
quantities.
Threshing employed pretty much
the same technology as the early
pioneers to North America used
nearly 1900 years later. A flail or rod
might be used to beat the straw until
the seed burst from the pods or seed
heads.
A labour saving method used
animals to speed the threshing. The
grain was spread on the ground and
oxen were driven over it repeatedly,
either bursting the seed heads open
with their feet or by pulling a drag
over the straw.
The dirty job of winnowing the
chaff and straw from the seed was
still to be done. The mingled mass of
straw, chaff and grain would be
thrown into the air. The heavy seed
would fall quickly to the ground, the
straw would blow some distance
away and the chaff would be blown
away. The grain would be further
cleaned through a sieve.
Israel's success in agriculture is
recorded in the early chapters of the
Bible. Solomon, for instance, is
reported to have annually sent to