Page 111 - Panjek, Aleksander, Jesper Larsson and Luca Mocarelli, eds. 2017. Integrated Peasant Economy in a Comparative Perspective: Alps, Scandinavia and Beyond. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 111
integr ated peasant economy in friuli (16th–18th centuries)
Graph 4.2: Seasonality of conceptions in years of crisis
Note: 1 = 18th century. Source: Breschi et al. 2010.
mainly in July and August, it goes without saying that this was also the pe-
riod of the year when the highest number of conceptions occurred (Forna-
sin 1998a, 19–27). In order to check for a ‘conscious’ response to fertility in
times of grain shortage, we can try to compare data on the seasonality of
conceptions in years of high prices with the similar curve referred to con-
ceptions in the 18th century.
As you can see in Graph 4.2, in the mountains territory conceptions
show large variations in ‘bad’ years. During those periods, in fact, we ob-
serve a decrease in conceptions, in particular in the month of August. This
does not happen on the plain, where migration is not a widespread phe-
nomenon. In other words, it is reasonable to think that, since July and Au-
gust were just after the harvest of wheat and immediately prior to the har-
vest of corn, many of the men who were at home might decide whether to
leave or not on the basis of current prices and the price forecast.
In addition to the examination of the short period we might debate
over the evolution in time of the integrated peasant economy. In order to
tackle this kind of study we focused in particular on the mountains during
the 19th century. In fact, the economy of this territory was affected by im-
portant economic transformations. The migration flows based on trade and
109
Graph 4.2: Seasonality of conceptions in years of crisis
Note: 1 = 18th century. Source: Breschi et al. 2010.
mainly in July and August, it goes without saying that this was also the pe-
riod of the year when the highest number of conceptions occurred (Forna-
sin 1998a, 19–27). In order to check for a ‘conscious’ response to fertility in
times of grain shortage, we can try to compare data on the seasonality of
conceptions in years of high prices with the similar curve referred to con-
ceptions in the 18th century.
As you can see in Graph 4.2, in the mountains territory conceptions
show large variations in ‘bad’ years. During those periods, in fact, we ob-
serve a decrease in conceptions, in particular in the month of August. This
does not happen on the plain, where migration is not a widespread phe-
nomenon. In other words, it is reasonable to think that, since July and Au-
gust were just after the harvest of wheat and immediately prior to the har-
vest of corn, many of the men who were at home might decide whether to
leave or not on the basis of current prices and the price forecast.
In addition to the examination of the short period we might debate
over the evolution in time of the integrated peasant economy. In order to
tackle this kind of study we focused in particular on the mountains during
the 19th century. In fact, the economy of this territory was affected by im-
portant economic transformations. The migration flows based on trade and
109
