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THE MECHANISATION OF BRITISH FARMING, 1910–1945
Author(s) -
Whetham Edith H.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.157
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1477-9552
pISSN - 0021-857X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1477-9552.1970.tb01388.x
Subject(s) - milking , work (physics) , agriculture , constraint (computer aided design) , agricultural machinery , agricultural economics , dairy farming , agricultural science , agricultural engineering , business , economics , engineering , environmental science , geography , forestry , mechanical engineering , archaeology
Both tractors and milking machines were available to British farmers from the early 19OO's, but the mechanisation of field work and of dairy farming was not general until the 1950's. This paper discusses the technical difficulties of early forms of farm machinery, and the reorganisation of farm work which was required to use the machinery efficiently. Tractors were at first adopted for heavy work, thus easing the pressure on, and increasing the efficiency of, the horses. It was not until after the second world war that tractors and their implements became sufficiently reliable and versatile to supplant horses in all farm operations and to change an important constraint upon the structure of farms and the methods of working them.