The Journal of Agrarian History
Online ISSN : 2423-9070
Print ISSN : 0493-3567
Volume 15, Issue 2
Displaying 1-9 of 9 articles from this issue
  • Article type: Cover
    1973 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages Cover2-
    Published: January 20, 1973
    Released on J-STAGE: October 30, 2017
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  • Nobufumi Kayo
    Article type: Article
    1973 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 1-23
    Published: January 20, 1973
    Released on J-STAGE: October 30, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    It is aimed to prove that both of the Marc Bloch's proposition on wheat mowing in the feudal age and the Albert Soboul's proposition on it in the Agricultural Revolution can not be applied to English Agriculture which has accomplished Agricultural Revolution most successfully. The main literatures cited in this are twenty six papers about the wheat mowing in the "Museum Rusticum et Commerciale" which have never been cited before, and farming books written by Walter of Henry, by Fitzherbert, and by W. Marshall, as well as "Sketches of Rural Affairs" . It is hoped that the paper makes contribution to the study on technology and farm work as related to the modernization of English Agriculture. I. Taking notice to "eteule" (the right to use haulms), M. Bloch insisted that common scythes were used only on pasture, while sickles were done in "ble" by force. The author's comments on the Bloch's proposition are as follows. (1) Bloch took no account of differences in the use of straws and cereals between "wheat" as winter crop and "barley" as summer crop in his study on the right to use haulms. (2) The following two systems were found in old farming books; the "wheat-sickle-reap" system and the "barley-scythe-mow" system. There were remarkable differences between them, as to the reaping tool and the method of reaping. (3) Reaping 'high' was not due to the use of sickle by force but to the fact that it was more favorable for farmers to reap high than to mow. There were six main reasons for it, such as weed control, preventing gleanings, working system, work intensity, working efficiency, and field conditions especially between furrows and ridges. (4) Though farmers had the right of use of haulms it was not the cause of reaping 'high'. As the straws of barley and oat were the most important roughage for livestock in winter in the medieval times, it was groundless to insist their restriction by the rural community. In short, the Bloch's proposition had a fatal weakpoint that it did not deal with the relationship between the reaping method and the farming system. Though his proposition had a splendid idea on farming technique, it was impossible to find the original literature from which the idea came. II. Following the Bloch's proposition, A. Soboul proposed that the harvesting method changed from reaping 'high' into mowing by cradle-scythe during the agricultural revolution. The Soboul's proposition was examined by refering to the farming books in that period. The papers of the disputes on the wheat mowing described the new scythe-especially Hainault scythe-by refering to it's structure, the working method, the efficiency as well as the comparison of advantages between reaping 'high' and mowing based on the field experiment. The comparison was done in terms of the economic conditions, while the practical technological conditions were not studied which were necessary for popularization. The harvesting process of wheat was composed of the organically systematized processes, done by human labour, such as reaping, gathering and binding and it was influenced by cropping systems and various field conditions. Therefore, it was very difficult to change the process of cutting alone with no influence on other processes. And also the condition still continued that reaping 'high' was more favorable than mowing, even if a farmer had to pay high wages for the work. It was difficult to find enough materials to prove the fact above mentioned, except the report on harvesting and it's regional characteristics by W. Marshall. There was no description on it on the County Reports, too. It could not be proved that there was the change in farming from reaping 'high' by sickles to mowing by improved scythes from the end of 18th

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  • Bunji Nagura
    Article type: Article
    1973 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 24-51
    Published: January 20, 1973
    Released on J-STAGE: October 30, 2017
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    The purpose of this article is to analyse the development of the steel enterprises in Japan around the period of the 1st World War, especially with respect to the way in which the market structure determined the accumulation of capital by the main private enterprises. The conclusion is that the pattern of accumulation of capital can be devided into enterprises mainly producing for civilian use (A type) and those which depended upon the war materials or the demand of the government office (B type). In the special conditions of the War, namely under stringent market conditions and a sudden rise in the price of steel, both types rapidly developed and gained a large profits. Especially Nippon-Kokan, which belonged to A, became a big business and accumulated capital through extra depreciation and undistributed profits. Nippon-Kokan tried to maintain its position by quick response to the changing market structure caused by the crisis after the War. And, under the condition of excess imports of steel from Europe and U.S.A., it survived by reducing costs through mass-production. On the other hand, B invested in various producer's plant and equipment during the War, but chiefly in relation to war materials and the shipbuilding industry. So, B declined gradually with the depression of the shipbuilding industry after the War. But B depended wholly upon the expansion of the navy, and was damaged by the military reduction required by the Washington Treaty. B were also obliged to adapt themselves to the changing market structure, but were prevented on account of the large fixed capital. They only could supply the war materials or government demands by means of the already invested plant and equipment. But, in that time, Yawata, a government enterprise, which had invested a large amount of fixed capital, produced mainly for civilian use instead of war materials or government demands. And so, although a few of B cut down the scale of procuction, most gained comparatively stable profits. Some of them, Sumitomo-Seiko, Kawasaki-Zosen (Hyogo factory), Kobe-Seiko etc., produced for the demand of the Ministry of Railroad, Minamimanshu-Tetsudo etc. : the others, Kawasaki-Zosen (Fukiai factory), Sumitomo-Shindo, Nippon-Seiko, Kobe-Seiko etc., continued to depend upon the demand for materials for subsidiary warships even after the military cut backs of the Washington Treaty.
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  • H. Wakabayashi
    Article type: Article
    1973 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 52-68
    Published: January 20, 1973
    Released on J-STAGE: October 30, 2017
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  • M. Hoshi
    Article type: Article
    1973 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 69-70
    Published: January 20, 1973
    Released on J-STAGE: October 30, 2017
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  • Y. Kato
    Article type: Article
    1973 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 71-72
    Published: January 20, 1973
    Released on J-STAGE: October 30, 2017
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  • K. Harada
    Article type: Article
    1973 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 72-74
    Published: January 20, 1973
    Released on J-STAGE: October 30, 2017
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  • Article type: Appendix
    1973 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 75-77
    Published: January 20, 1973
    Released on J-STAGE: October 30, 2017
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  • Article type: Bibliography
    1973 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 79-80
    Published: January 20, 1973
    Released on J-STAGE: October 30, 2017
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