Page 143 - 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. 143
buckwheat or maize? ultimately, potatoes!
ble crop to replace buckwheat. The representatives of agricultural societies
would respond to this concern by emphasizing the far greater productivity
of maize and the necessity to increase the wheat yield in the remaining ar-
eas. The president of the Carniolan Agricultural Society thus concluded his
appeal to the peasants – that they should consider the suitability of sowing
buckwheat – with the following proclamation:
…that it is not prudent for those whose survival depends on their
fields to rely solely on buckwheat. […] Think about it yourselves,
my friends! Do not take my words for granted, but consider it on
your own and do not forget to take everything into account: seeds,
labour and crop – both the grain and the straw harvest – as well as
the value of every stalk. […] Carniolans are hardworking people, it
is only that they still keep relying on buckwheat too much!
Agricultural societies would supply peasants with subsidized seeds
to facilitate the introduction of maize. Generally, subsidies as an econom-
ic encouragement represented an important element for the acceptance of
maize. On their own, education and persuasion were not enough to change
the traditional models and structure of the peasant economy. Agricultural
societies encouraged the peasants to experiment and learn from their own
experience, as well as from the knowledge of others. As the experts argued:
“And if we do not listen to experience – proven experience – we only con-
firm the old saying that old habits die hard” (KRN 1854, Terpinc). In this re-
gard, the author was certainly right. The preoccupation with tradition, ex-
isting models of farming, and the fear of change represented obstacles for
the swifter introduction of maize. Changes, however, called for a leap into
the unknown. New crops – and maize was definitely one such crop – called
for new technologies, a different work organization, and partially also in-
vestments into new facilities or adaptation of the existing buildings to en-
sure the proper storage of maize. However, the path had been paved despite
the reservations, and maize slowly gained importance. As the process was
gradual, the peasants had enough time to adapt to the new production ca-
pabilities and technological demands that maize involved.
Simultaneously, maize was also becoming a part of the people’s diet.
Polenta and maize mush soon appeared on people’s tables, and mix-
ing maize flour with wheat flour was a familiar practice throughout the
Slovenian territory. However, in Istria and in the Goriška region (near the
border with Italy), maize was more common: it was mostly eaten in the
141
ble crop to replace buckwheat. The representatives of agricultural societies
would respond to this concern by emphasizing the far greater productivity
of maize and the necessity to increase the wheat yield in the remaining ar-
eas. The president of the Carniolan Agricultural Society thus concluded his
appeal to the peasants – that they should consider the suitability of sowing
buckwheat – with the following proclamation:
…that it is not prudent for those whose survival depends on their
fields to rely solely on buckwheat. […] Think about it yourselves,
my friends! Do not take my words for granted, but consider it on
your own and do not forget to take everything into account: seeds,
labour and crop – both the grain and the straw harvest – as well as
the value of every stalk. […] Carniolans are hardworking people, it
is only that they still keep relying on buckwheat too much!
Agricultural societies would supply peasants with subsidized seeds
to facilitate the introduction of maize. Generally, subsidies as an econom-
ic encouragement represented an important element for the acceptance of
maize. On their own, education and persuasion were not enough to change
the traditional models and structure of the peasant economy. Agricultural
societies encouraged the peasants to experiment and learn from their own
experience, as well as from the knowledge of others. As the experts argued:
“And if we do not listen to experience – proven experience – we only con-
firm the old saying that old habits die hard” (KRN 1854, Terpinc). In this re-
gard, the author was certainly right. The preoccupation with tradition, ex-
isting models of farming, and the fear of change represented obstacles for
the swifter introduction of maize. Changes, however, called for a leap into
the unknown. New crops – and maize was definitely one such crop – called
for new technologies, a different work organization, and partially also in-
vestments into new facilities or adaptation of the existing buildings to en-
sure the proper storage of maize. However, the path had been paved despite
the reservations, and maize slowly gained importance. As the process was
gradual, the peasants had enough time to adapt to the new production ca-
pabilities and technological demands that maize involved.
Simultaneously, maize was also becoming a part of the people’s diet.
Polenta and maize mush soon appeared on people’s tables, and mix-
ing maize flour with wheat flour was a familiar practice throughout the
Slovenian territory. However, in Istria and in the Goriška region (near the
border with Italy), maize was more common: it was mostly eaten in the
141
