Page 119 - Mocarelli, Luca, and Aleksander Panjek. Eds. 2020. Maize to the People! Cultivation, Consumption and Trade in the North-Eastern Mediterranean (Sixteenth-Nineteenth Century). Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 119
innovation in the south-easter n alps: maize as a crop in car inthia ...
there possible (Wadl 1987, 241). This proof of the occurrence of maize re-
mained an isolated case for a long time.
It is not possible to determine from the sources available whether
maize was planted in the following decades and in the seventeenth cen-
tury. Thus, it was limited to the status of a botanical rarity until the ear-
ly eighteenth century. Around 1720, it appeared in the crop rotation of the
Upper Drau Valley. In 1717, we come across it in the Spittal an der Drau
area. In a bequest inventory 162.9 litres of Türggen are specified. Not far
away, in the area around Greifenburg, it was also documented. In a dispute
between the dominion of Greifenburg and its subjects, the latter claimed
that maize was free of tithes, because it was a recently introduced crop. But
it was not so. After studying the old inventories, it became apparent that the
first very insignificant cultivation of maize occurred there in 1720 (Zenegg-
Scharffenstein 1930, 55). However, maize was barely noticed until 1740 and
was still in its infancy in the following years. The yields were very low due
to the unorganized cultivation and its planting was not attractive due to the
low market prices. The situation changed in the mid-1760s, when at the in-
stigation of the Radlach Pastor Franz Xaver Presenn it spread across the en-
tire valley (Zenegg-Scharffenstein 1930, 55). From the Upper Drau Valley, it
spread down the Drau River in the second half of the eighteenth century to-
wards Central and Lower Carinthia (Wadl 1987, 243).
Lesach Valley (Lesachtal) and Gail Valley can be mentioned as an-
other cultivation area during the same period. However, Johann Burger’s
statement claims that the “Turkish wheat” was naturalized there, mediat-
ed through Italy, and spread from there to the rest of Carinthia. In the first
half of the eighteenth century, it was first encountered in the Lesacht Valley,
replacing buckwheat. However, due to the climatic conditions, it could only
be grown in the eastern part of the valley. At the same time, it replaced
buckwheat as a staple. The cultivable land remained small (Neumann 1997,
205). On the other hand, there is no evidence of maize cultivation in the es-
tate inventories of the farms in the neighbouring Gail Valley for the years
before 1740. The first news of maize came from the dominion of Aichelburg
in 1742 and 1743. In the following years, it established itself as a new field
crop alongside the traditional cereals. The trail can be followed further.
Almost at the same time, maize cultivation can also be demonstrated
for the area around Villach, namely for the owners of the dominions of
Landskron and Velden. The first mention refers to St Magdalen (1739), and
the others to Rajach (1742), Föderlach (1755) and Kleinvassach (1756). Most
117
there possible (Wadl 1987, 241). This proof of the occurrence of maize re-
mained an isolated case for a long time.
It is not possible to determine from the sources available whether
maize was planted in the following decades and in the seventeenth cen-
tury. Thus, it was limited to the status of a botanical rarity until the ear-
ly eighteenth century. Around 1720, it appeared in the crop rotation of the
Upper Drau Valley. In 1717, we come across it in the Spittal an der Drau
area. In a bequest inventory 162.9 litres of Türggen are specified. Not far
away, in the area around Greifenburg, it was also documented. In a dispute
between the dominion of Greifenburg and its subjects, the latter claimed
that maize was free of tithes, because it was a recently introduced crop. But
it was not so. After studying the old inventories, it became apparent that the
first very insignificant cultivation of maize occurred there in 1720 (Zenegg-
Scharffenstein 1930, 55). However, maize was barely noticed until 1740 and
was still in its infancy in the following years. The yields were very low due
to the unorganized cultivation and its planting was not attractive due to the
low market prices. The situation changed in the mid-1760s, when at the in-
stigation of the Radlach Pastor Franz Xaver Presenn it spread across the en-
tire valley (Zenegg-Scharffenstein 1930, 55). From the Upper Drau Valley, it
spread down the Drau River in the second half of the eighteenth century to-
wards Central and Lower Carinthia (Wadl 1987, 243).
Lesach Valley (Lesachtal) and Gail Valley can be mentioned as an-
other cultivation area during the same period. However, Johann Burger’s
statement claims that the “Turkish wheat” was naturalized there, mediat-
ed through Italy, and spread from there to the rest of Carinthia. In the first
half of the eighteenth century, it was first encountered in the Lesacht Valley,
replacing buckwheat. However, due to the climatic conditions, it could only
be grown in the eastern part of the valley. At the same time, it replaced
buckwheat as a staple. The cultivable land remained small (Neumann 1997,
205). On the other hand, there is no evidence of maize cultivation in the es-
tate inventories of the farms in the neighbouring Gail Valley for the years
before 1740. The first news of maize came from the dominion of Aichelburg
in 1742 and 1743. In the following years, it established itself as a new field
crop alongside the traditional cereals. The trail can be followed further.
Almost at the same time, maize cultivation can also be demonstrated
for the area around Villach, namely for the owners of the dominions of
Landskron and Velden. The first mention refers to St Magdalen (1739), and
the others to Rajach (1742), Föderlach (1755) and Kleinvassach (1756). Most
117
