Part of the fishing fleet in the harbour
That Was Jersey |
Local history for everyone |
CHANNEL ISLANDS |
Although agriculture currently provides only about 5% of the Island economy, throughout history it has been an important part of Island life. Small individual farms covered the Island, and almost everyone had some link with farming.
Fishing was also important in the diet. The skills acquired in fishing locally for conger eels and mackerel paved the way for the cod industry, in the early 1600s. When news of the discovery of Newfoundland and its huge stocks of cod reached Jersey, traders set out to fish there, and to sell their catch (salted for preservation) in Europe. The success of this trade led to the prosperous merchants building substantial homes, mostly in St Aubin close to the harbour. Some of these houses can still be seen.
Fishing in local waters has been a traditional activity in the Island. About a fifth of the total catch is now for local markets, with much of the remainder being landed directly in English and French ports. Most of the catch is shellfish.
Growing food and caring for animals was an everyday task in order to feed one’s family. However there were several developments which led to a healthy export trade from the farming community. The export trade prospered largely because of the existence of a maritime fleet for transport of goods, and also because no duties had to be paid on goods exported to England from Jersey.
Orchards of apple trees were planted, perhaps at some time in the mid to late 1500s. Cider was made first of all for the family, then for the community, and eventually it grew into an industry as cider was exported to England. The trade continued to be significant for about 300 years. The Jersey cider was made from a mixture of apple varieties.
Sheep were kept for their wool, and jerseys (the original knitted sweater) were produced for the fishermen. Families took up knitting in between their other duties, and for about 250 years, the Island exported large quantities of knitted garments, mostly stockings. Imported wool from England was needed, in addition to the sheep grazing in the Island. During the 1700s, about 50 tons of wool were imported each year, and in the 1800s this figure rose to 62 tons. Figures are quoted to suggest almost 6,500 pairs of stockings were knitted each week.
The Jersey cow is the only breed of cow in the Island. It developed as a result of a ban on live imports of cattle in 1789. French farmers had been using the Island as a route for getting their cattle into the UK without having to pay duties. The ban on live imports had two benefits: it led to in-breeding, giving us the cow we know today; and it protected the Jersey herds from some of the serious cattle diseases rampant at the time.
The characteristics of the Jersey cow include a moderate size, even temper, modest appetite, and milk with a high butterfat content. There are herds of Jerseys across the world, from Japan to New Zealand, India, Africa, and across Europe and America. More recently animals have been supplied to UK farmers rebuilding their herds after the foot and mouth outbreaks in 2001.
Jersey Milk is the marketing arm of the dairy industry, and the range of products now includes milk, butter, yoghurt, cream and ice cream. There is a ban on importing milk.
Jersey Royals (properly known as Jersey Royal Flukes) have been cultivated in the island since 1880. A local farmer acquired two unusual huge potatoes, which he cut up and planted. The resulting crop was far superior to the potatoes that had been grown previously. The new potato was named, and Jersey Royals have flourished ever since. Much of the crop is sown on côtils (steep south facing land). Plastic sheeting is now used to protect the early crop, which accounted for 68 per cent of exported crops in 1999.
The Jersey soils have been well cared for and vraic (seaweed) is the traditional fertiliser, freely available at certain times of the year. As soils vary across the Island, so do crops. The sandy soils of the south-eastern parishes are well suited to tomatoes, and there are vast glasshouses in this area. Tomatoes provide a fifth of the total export crops. Other crops include courgettes and cauliflowers, in addition to carnations and other flowers. There are still fields of daffodils grown commercially to be seen in springtime. Flying Flowers has been particularly successful with carnations. Parsnips have also been a significant crop in history, valued as feed for livestock during the winter months, and also for human consumption.
From the early days of the potato industry, there was an influx of seasonal workers, first from Brittany, and then in the later part of the twentieth century, from Madeira and Portugal. The most recent workers coming into the Island have been from Poland and Kenya.
The Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society is an important organisation for farmers and growers. It was formed in 1833, with offices in town. Cattle shows were held at the Cattle Market, where Minden Place car park now stands. In 1884 the organisation bought Springfield, then a meadow. This was developed into a showground, which was also used for many of the early Battle of Flowers parades. A Pavilion and later offices were added to Springfield, which served the Society well, until they sold the site to the States in 1995. New headquarters were built in Trinity, neighbouring the States Farm, and were opened by the Queen in 2000.
The States Farm, now known as the Howard Davis Farm, does research to benefit agriculture in the Island, and supports the work of the agricultural community. Howard Davis Farm is typical of a Jersey farm house. An older example of notable farm architecture is Morel Farm in St Lawrence, owned by the National Trust for Jersey. Its entrance archway, large for vehicles, small for people, is of Jersey granite, and similar archways can be seen across the Island.
Howard Davis was the son of a wealthy philanthropist. His father, T B Davis, came from a fishing family in Havre des Pas, and went to South Africa, where he worked hard and became very wealthy. When his son, Howard, was killed in the first world war, he devoted to good causes the money that would have been his son's inheritance. One of his early causes was to buy land in Trinity to enable the States to have an Experimental Farm. That is why it is known as Howard Davis Farm. The Howard Davis Park in St Helier is another example of his public generosity, as is the theatre at Victoria College.
