Farming

Farming methods were primitive in the Middle Ages. An ox drawn plow was used, and crop rotation was practiced.

The land in northern Europe that was used for fields was divided into three sections. The first section was planted in the spring, the second in the fall, and the third was left fallow (unplanted). The following year, the first section was left fallow, the second was planted in the spring, and the third in the fall. A different crop was planted in each field each year. For example, rye might be planted the first year and wheat the second year. The three field system encouraged people to cooperate in planting and harvesting because they did not own a complete set of farm tools and the plows and wagons had to be shared. One of the technological advances during the Middle Ages, the heavy plow, dramatically decreased plowing time and increased interdependency of the peasants. It had wheels and was so heavy that it required six to eight oxen to pull it. This meant that the peasants, who did not own the needed six or eight oxen, would pool the oxen to plow cooperatively. The new heavy plow was very useful in northern Europe, where the soil was heavy and hard to plow.

In southern Europe, where the soil was more sandy, land was divided into rectangular plots rather than the strips used in the north, and were planted with a two year rotation of crops. Because the soil was easier to plow, the peasants used a light scratch plow. Each family was largely independent, with less sharing of resources than among their northern counterparts.

If it rained too much or not enough, a peasant might not harvest enough to feed his family. A family of four needed about 35 bushels of grain a year. Of the seven to ten bushels that a peasant harvested on each acre of his land in a good year, two or three had to be saved for the next years seed, three or four had to be given to the lord as taxes and to the church as a tithe. In the end, a peasant would have between two and four bushels per acre to feed his family with. If the harvest was not good, he would have even less, and his family might face hunger or starvation during the winter months.

Peasants worked the land granted to them by their lord. In return, they agreed to work the lord's land a certain number of days each week and to give him the crops that were raised. They also paid fees to the lord out of their own property, usually a percentage of their harvest or of their animals. Usually a third of the land was reserved for the lord’s use and the peasant was required to work about three days a week on it. From the work on their own land, they were expected to share the crops with the lord as well. A bailiff, appointed by the lord, supervised the peasants’ work on the manor. Peasants also were expected to pay tithes equal to one tenth of their products to the church for its support. The system discouraged ambitious peasants from planting new crops or trying new methods. The lord of the manor had very little interest in increasing production since there was no market nearby the estate until towns developed in the later Middle Ages.

References:

Knox, Ellis. The Village. http://history.idbsu.edu/westciv/medsoc/village.htm

The Peasants. http://kuhttp.cc.ukans.edu/kansas/medieval/108/lectures/peasants.html