A December 1932 edition of Free State Farmer magazine made its way into my possession this Christmas.
The 26-page mostly black and white publication – with a peppering of red on the front and back covers – offers fascinating cross-sector insights on farming under Éamon De Valera’s watch as the then prime minister of Ireland.
At the time the country had a population of around three million, with people mostly living on small farm holdings in rural areas. An estimated 600,000 people worked in agriculture at the time; but with wages low, emigration from rural areas was on the rise.
The Free State Farmer publication was available to farmers at a cost of just one penny.
The front page of this particular issue advertises ‘Beva’ weatherproof leather boots, with one farmer testifying: “I bought a pair of ‘Beva’ leather boots over three years ago…in regular use ever since…had them resoled five times…for two and a half years never had a wet foot unless it came over the top of the boot.”
With the spring of 1933 just around the corner, the front page makes room for a remedy for scour in calves.
There are also adverts for: ‘Presto Flake Maize’ cooked maize food for all stock; ‘Sugar Pulp’ for cows, horses, sheep and pigs; a ‘Louden-King Automatic Drinking Bowl’ – the “original” automatic drinking bowl that always ensures fresh drinking water, but without any sudden inrush to startle the cattle at drink.
Plus, the ‘Crossley Oil Engine’ described as “the ideal engine for the farm” – an entirely automatic, self-lubricating paraffin fuel engine with dust proof enclosed crank-case and gears – all for the price of just £21.
‘Boland’s Pinnacle Flour’ features too – manufactured from the “highest grade wheats, by the latest type of machinery”. It is stated that pinnacle flour “supplies the Irish housewives’ necessity”.
‘An indignant and indigent farmer’
The first news story focuses on “Government schemes” and how “while Ireland has escaped the worst results of the world-wide depression” the time is “opportune” for a “wider and more fundamental effort” on the part of Government.
The article says: “At present we have hundreds of thousands of acres of potentially good land spoiled by water, by over-flowing rivers and undrained catchment areas. These acres should be rescued.”
The section ‘Fact, Fun and Philosophy of Farmers‘ tells of a complaint from ‘an indignant and indigent farmer’ who says he has been been “badly treated for years and did not know it”.
He says: “Here I was growing wheat, oats, turnips, beet, cabbage, barley and mangolds, producing milk, store cattle, poultry and bacon and did not know that the country had gone back on me. I did not know that Canada could lick me in wheat, Australia in sheep, Denmark in bacon, Germany in potatoes, Holland in mangolds, Austria in poultry and eggs and Argentina in store cattle.
If I had been wise I should have given up farming and began making yo-yos before the Swiss got in first and are now beating me at that.
Another interesting snippet appears on how to improve agricultural training for young Irish farmers.
It says: “Certain agricultural training bodies in England have decided to give their support to a scheme whereby young farmers in various parts of the country will be instructed in the most modern methods of agriculture through the medium of the sound-film.
“Successful experiments have been made, and agriculturists believe that, by the judicious use of the cinema, farming methods generally can be improved. We commend the idea to the Free State Minister of Agriculture.
“In the remotest districts young men and women flock to the nearest picture house to feast their eyes and their ears on the performances of Hollywood ‘stars’. The introduction of agricultural films into all rural programmes would be an excellent thing, and, with proper supervision, would do much to better the condition of the farming industry,” it says.
What Irish Farmers Think
Then comes the section – ‘What Irish Farmers Think‘ – it features a number of short updates on what’s happening in different counties.
Here’s a flavour of what farmers had to say:
Carlow is full of food; the crops have been excellent and the yield all round is high. Cattle and sheep look well, but fairs are more or less a failure at the time of writing. Speed the plough now is not the word and a great deal of land that has been broken since the compulsory tillage during the war will again be tilled. In addition to beet, wheat has been fairly extensively sown and many farmers are preparing to put in a tobacco crop next spring.
Kilkenny farmers are turning more to tillage than heretofore and shrewd farmers think that, with guaranteed prices for wheat and beet, the farmer will have a better chance next year. They think also that with the ending of prohibition in America that Irish liquors may have a better sale abroad with a consequent demand for Irish barley.
Dairying is doing well in the county also, but horse breeders believe that next year they will have the chance of years. In this county the Irish draft horse reaches perfection and, with the need for increased horses for tillage, the price of this excellent animal should go up along with the demand.
Mayo is one of our greatest poultry counties and the recent bounty helped many a small farmer over a thin period. Bacon pigs are well done in the county also and though prices were poor there is a general feeling that it is wise to stay in the trade.
Mayo produces excellent wheat in some districts and the wheat scheme is being fully availed of.
The County Committee of Agriculture are pushing it well, but the tradition of wheat growing in the area, as indeed in most western counties, is that spring wheat is a more useful crop. Square-head Master, though really a winter wheat, gives excellent results when sown in spring, both in Galway and Mayo, and a good strain of the ordinary spring wheat still exists in both counties.
In Galway the farmers in every area except the extreme west are convinced of the possibilities of beet growing and determined efforts are being made to get the government to locate one of the proposed new beet factories at Athenry or Tuam. Both districts are well tilled and there is no doubt that the crop would be a success, but the factory is quite another matter. It is certain that if any factory is located west of the Shannon that Galway farmers will offer to supply a big portion of the raw material.
Sligo which is well stocked with pigs and cattle is keenly interested in the bounties and the stock breeding schemes. Farmers, however, feel that they have not been getting a fair deal over the bounties and that the money does not get any farther than the dealers’ pockets.
Sometime ago it was stated that a well-known bacon curing concern would establish a factory in the county, which would be well suited for one, but so far it does not seem to be materialising. As we go to press there is some discussion about the delay in working the heifer bounty scheme and, with the number of good foundation stock in the county, the scheme would be very valuable.
Tipperary farmers are good cattle men and the improvement in stock in the county of late years has been quite remarkable. Though there are many non-descript animals still in the county, nowhere have we seen better Shorthorns.
Breeders’ Association is doing good work in the county and we look to see a great many animals from the county used in the near future to improve foundation stock. The Cow Testing Association are also doing well and with a more extended area to cover would be an asset to the country.
Leix (Laois) County Committee of Agriculture is doing one of the things that could profitably be done by many other similar bodies in Ireland. They are encouraging fruit growing, in addition to comprehensive schemes of breeding and tillage [that] have managed to devote considerable attention to this side of farm activities. There is no doubt but that the county is producing excellent fruit and the area under it would be expanded almost indefinitely. Lessons in grading and packing fruit have been held and demonstrations given and the results are first-class.
Meath also is taking an interest in fruit and next year we shall see many new orchards and new plantings of fruit bushes, and the County Committee of Agriculture has also under consideration the encouragement of planting of shelter. The farmers in the county are deeply interested in the wheat scheme and spring wheat and tobacco will become quite a substantial area. At one time Meath tobacco was as famous as Meath cattle now are…and probably will be so again.
Having listed updates for just eight counties, the article continues that: “The other Irish counties at the moment are hammering away at the tillage and heifer schemes, but in the dairy county things are being done better than heretofore.”
Stay tuned to AgriLand for more Free State Farmer insights from the past…