© 2015

Bondarenko O. M., Candidate of Agricultural Sciences
Poltava State Agrarian Academy
FROM THE HISTORY OF THE CATTLE BREEDING DEVELOPMENT IN POLTAVA REGION
(the end of XIX – beginning of XX century)
Reviewer –Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor A. A. Polischuk

Some aspects of the history of the cattle breeding development in Poltavaregion in the end of XIX – beginning of XX centuryare consideredon the basis of literary sources. Two factors had special influence on the breeding of cattle: the increase of urban population and the intensification of land cultivation. The growth of commercial agriculture, which demanded the increase of work productivity, resulted, on the one hand, to more enhanced working cattle breeding than productive, and on the other, due to stratification in rural areas, growth of livestock only in the affluent part of the peasantry, which had a pulling force. For Poltava region breeding cattle at all stages of historical development was very important, providing the population with high-calorie meat and dairy products.

Keywords: Poltava province, cattle (oxen and cows), grey Ukrainian breed, the main economic pulling power, proprietary saving, landlord economy.

Statement of the problem. Since ancient times, the Poltava region was famous for its natural resources and had a well-developed animal husbandry.

Livestock refers to important Ukraineeconomic occupations. Agriculture was not able to successfully develop if they were not domesticated animals, which have been providing the residents of our region dairy and meat products, was used as draft power. A good yield was obtained when sowing was properly prepared soil. For the bulk of the population of Poltava region the cattle (oxen and cows) were much more important than the horse. Without proper harness tools for effective application in agriculture draft power it is impossible.

According to statistics for the 1845, the total number of cattle was 782210, while horses were 3,5 times less (224951). Cattle, especially bulls, served primarily labour in farm households. For this cowswere often used too. For the purpose of obtaining dairy farmers mostly kept cows only within the household needs. As a result, the horse became more and more cost-effective, not to mention such minor reasons as disrepair preferred for bread fishing in the winter, while well-trained horses were indispensable in winter [10, 11, 12].

The analysis of the literature and scientific works. Since the end of XIX century, Poltava province organized an annual publication of such valuable for historians collections as «Statistical Handbook of Poltava province onthe...year» and «Statistical Yearbook of the Poltava province». Often a data of a few on the census with appropriate comments were published [10, 11, 12].

A valuable source concerning the issue is also mentioned in a historiographical review journals «Farmer» and «Herald of the South-Russian livestock» and organized in 1909 collection «Farmer’s Calendar» (a Collection of agricultural articles), six issues of which were published before 1917. The first of the baforementioned magazinesprintedin Poltava from 1896 to 1917. InSummer it published twice a month, and at other times of the year – weekly. «Herald of the South-Russian livestock» was a specialized magazine. From 1908 to 1916 it printed in Poltava three times a month under the auspices of the agricultural society [1, 2].

The purpose of this publicationis to summarize the data concerning the formation and development of cattle breeding in the Poltava region in the end of XIX – beginning of XX century.

The results of the study.As a result of excessive plowing of agricultural land after the abolition of serfdom conditions for the cattle, and livestock in general, in Poltavaregion has changed significantly. If we take as a basis the average, each city had 1034 head of cattle, and of every county are 49998 [2, 8].

By 1883 the bulk of the peasant cattle were oxen, over the years, their proportion decreased. So, in 1883, the proportion of oxen from the peasants was 28,9%, the cows are24,7%, the bulls are0,2%. The same census of 1900 gave the following indicators: oxen are 22,7%, cows are 35,1%. Bulls in these statistics are not recorded [8, 13].

The main shopping pullingforce in Ukraine for thousands of years, until the beginning of XIX century, remained oxen. The documents of the XVI–XVII centuries testify that in the villages of Kyiv region was almost the same number of oxens and horses, but in a plow harnessed mainly oxen. In the second part of the nineteenth century the livestock herds dramatically decreased as a result of the agrarian reform of 1861, when farmers began to leave the lands. So in Poltava region in Oposhnya in 1835–1882 the number of oxens decreased from 108 to 40, and horses increased from 15 to 37. It was characteristic for all ethnic territory [5, 9].

In the Poltavaregion were big exemplary economy of V. S. Kochubey in Dikan’ka and Zhuky. So, in Dykan’ka savings (at the estate) area 3860 acres of land, were improved grain field system of agriculture as part of the land was set off depending on the growth of grasses. Highly profitable farming was here: plant half-breed of English horses, dairy cattle Simmental breed and cross-breed with local, sheep – Karakul, and pig –Berkshire and Temware. In 6 miles on Northwest from the village Yakovtsy (now it is the outskirts of Poltava) was Zhukovsky savings of V. S. Kochubey, where it was 2785 acres of land. This was also one of the model farms of the region. The crop rotation on the nearer areas in the fields here were introduced wasmerely and more remote it was in part three-field and fallow. Since 1868 at saving existed a plant ofArden horses, was cattle (Simmental crossbreed), as well as pig (Berkshire) [6, 9].

For individual districts of Poltava region differences concerning grassland were quite substantial: from 85814 acresin Pereyaslavl estate till 20219 acresin the Zinkiv estate. In the whole in 1889 year province statistics counted 375706 acresdry grasslands, or 8,2% of the territory of the province. The corresponding figures in different provinces differed significantly. In Khorol estate the dry hay was 46229 acres(15,6% of the total area of the estate), in Romny estate hayfields were just 11820 acres(5,0%) [10, 11, 12, 13].

On the breeding of cattle special influence had two factors: the increase of urban population and the intensification of land cultivation. The growth of commercial agriculture, which demanded the increase of productivity, resulted, on the one hand, to a more enhanced working cattle breeding than productive, and on the other, due to stratification in rural areas, growth of livestock only in the affluent part of the peasantry, which had a pulling force.The same part of peasant households who had no money, could not ensure normal conditions of livestock and was forced to reduce its population [6].

Conclusion.All this historical facts show that in Ukraine the husbandry has a long history. For Poltavaregion breeding cattle at all stages of historical development was a very important, providing the population with high-calorie meat and dairy products. At the beginning of the XX century here all the conditions for the emergence of the scientific basis for the development of the cattle industry were fully formed.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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