Domestic Animals

Permanent arable farming required fertilization—and thus animal husbandry. Livestock were kept primarily as draft animals and for manure production. Meat and milk were more of a nice bonus, not the main reason for cattle economy.

In Southwest Finland, the main working animal was the ox. Only noblemen and wealthy farmers and priests could afford to own horses. Oxen had several benefits compared to horses. They could survive with low-quality fodder, whereas oats had to be grown for horses. Horses were more versatile animals when used for work, but oxen were strong and resilient.

In summer, the animals grazed in forests. This was also a method of moving nutrients from untamed nature to the fields, which otherwise would have been subject to erosion and soil impoverishment. Hay was not sown separately, but it was harvested from ditches, roadsides, and natural meadows. The best fodder was reserved for horses.

Nutrition improved in the 19th century with the transition to three-field rotation and systematic fodder cultivation. A new economic strategy was developed for Finland: butter was exported to central Europe, while grain was imported from Russia. This strategy collapsed during the World War I (1914–1918) and Russian Revolution, resulting in famine and violent unrest. Finland declared independence in 1917, and the official agrarian policy began to emphasize the establishment of small holdings focused on grain cultivation.

The horse replaced cattle as the most important working animal by the end of the 19th century. Selective breeding of domestic animals became more common. In Loimaa, this development was supported by farm manager and agronomist Axel Wirzenius (1854–1929) of the Aittamäki estate.

Caption: “Cattle at Kylä-Hulmi, new cowshed in 1928.”
Photo: Loimaa Society Collection.
Donor: Arja-Maija Topi-Hulmi-Lumento.