AGRICULTURE IN WILTSHIRE IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR 



77 



grassland. Part of the problem was that this was 

 linked to a minimum wage of 25s. a week for farm 

 labourers. Gordon Redman of Collingbourne 

 Kingston argued that the proposed prices for 1920 

 were too low. He calculated that his profit would 

 reduce from £958 a year to £723: 



Table 2 Estimated profit on farm at Collingbourne 

 Kingston 



Average for years 1910-1913: £ 



521 qrs of wheat grown and sold for 888 

 744 qrs oats 719 



1607 

 20 labourers (17 men, 3 boys) 649 



Profit 958 



Estimate for 1920-2 

 521 qrs wheat 

 744 qrs oats 



Labour bill 



1172 



849 



2021 



1298 



Profit 723 



Source: Devizes Gazette 8 March 1917. 



A similar calculation was nicely put by E. Pritchard 

 of the Swindon N.F.U. He said that the price of 

 corn in three or four years time would be 22s. 6d. a 

 sack while the minimum wage for labour was to be 



25s. a week. His father used to say that no corn 

 would be produced if the farm labourer carried away 

 a sack every Saturday night! 41 



Although many areas were identified for 

 ploughing agreement, the local sub-committees 

 found it difficult to achieve their target. It was at 

 that stage that the Executive Committee resorted 

 to its compulsory powers. By February 1919 the 

 committee had issued nearly 3,000 ploughing 

 orders although probably a number of these were 

 technical in the sense that if the farmer was ordered 

 to plough up a particular piece of land it 

 strengthened his hand in any later claim if the crop 

 failed. The orders were very precise in identifying 

 not only the particular field but exactly how it 

 should be cultivated and the crop to be sown. For 

 example, an order was issued in March 1918 to 

 Carrol Ansdell, tenant, for the cultivation of 

 Rowden and Cowesfield Farms inWhiteparish.On 

 a smaller scale, Albert Scull ofWest End,Westbury, 

 was ordered to summer fallow, clean and plant to 

 autumn wheat 6.415 acres of land near to the 

 cemetery and adjoining the Rifle Range path at 

 Westbury. Orders could involve not only ploughing 

 but other aspects of good husbandry. F.H.Seymour 

 ofWest Park Farm, Market Lavington, for example, 

 was ordered to cut and lay hedges and clean ditches 

 in two fields. 42 



Most farmers seemed to have responded to the 

 orders of the Executive Committee at least when 

 legal proceedings were started. But some cases did 



Table 3 Crop rotation ordered for farms at Whiteparish, 1918 



Rowdens Farm 



Partridge Close: 



Bucklebury: 



Big Stoney Dean: 



Pamula: 



16.951 acres. Fallow after barley, to be sown to Spring oats. 



1 1.461 acres. Roots fed, to be sown oats. 



21.313 acres. Ploughed after oats, to be sown to barley. 



17.215 acres. To be planted to oats after wheat. 



Cowesfield Farm 

 Big Barn Croft: 

 Fifteen Acres: 

 Forty Acre Field: 



Mirwood Field: 

 Great Homefield: 



Middle Broadfield: 

 Newly broken up field: 



8.752 acres. Roots fed, to be sown to barley. 



15.654 acres. Ploughed after wheat stubble, to be sown to oats. 



41.710 acres. 8 acres swedes and kale, to be sown to barley. 12 acres 



ploughed after barley, to be sown to oats. 

 59.617 acres 13 acres 2 roods fallow after roots fed, to be sown to oats. 



34.079 acres 16 acres after oats and peas, to be sown to barley. 8 acres 



fallow after wheat, to be sown to oats. 

 12.394 acres. Fallow after wheat, to be sown to oats. 



15 acres. To be sown to oats. 



Source: Minutes, Wiltshire Agricultural Executive Committee, 6 March 1918. 



