Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2010, Page 82

VÉRONIQUE FORBES, ALLISON BAIN, GUÐRÚN ALDA GÍSLADÓTTIR AND KAREN B. MILEK
agricultural schools and farmers’ societies
encouraged certain improvements in farm-
ing practices, for example by importing
ploughs, gear for draught horses, horse
carts, and harrows, and providing some
training on how to use such equipment
(Jónsson & Dýrmundsson 2000, 301-
302). Despite this, the modemisation
process was slower in the agricultural
industry in comparison with the fisheries.
During the first decades of the 20^ centu-
ry, farming practices in Iceland were still
very primitive in comparison with those of
other European countries (Anderson 1931,
284). Hay was cut by hand using tools
such as scythes, and tractors did not
replace draught horses until the 1950s
(Jónsson & Dýrmundsson 2000, 300-
301). Major technical progress occurred in
the 1920s, when the govemment offered
financial and legal support to the farmers
(Eggertsson et al. 1987, 139; Jónsson &
Dýrmundsson 2000, 304). Thus, artificial
fertilizers and modem machinery were
gradually introduced on farms, and large-
scale drainage begun with the importation
of the first excavators (Anderson 1931,
287, Jónsson & Dýrmundsson 2000, 304;
Mead 1945, 140).
In 1910, more than half of the houses
in Iceland were still made of turf, using
traditional building techniques (Karlsson
2000b). In the countryside, the introduc-
tion of new building techniques and
materials such as concrete, corrugated
iron, steel and wood began in the 1920s,
but turf buildings continued to be com-
mon until as late as 1960 (Jónsson &
Dýrmundsson 2000, 305). Apart from the
baðstofa, which since the 19th century
had been the main living room of the
house, where people slept, ate and
worked, turf houses contained several
subdivisions, which generally included a
kitchen, a hall, an alcove, a byre, pantries
and storage spaces (Arngrímson 1997,
45; Jóhannesson et al. 1987, 91). Living
conditions in these houses varied across
the country, and this seems to be reflect-
ed in the divergent opinions of some
authors. For example, while Karlsson
(2000b, 250) suggests that turf houses
were sufficiently dry, warm and bright,
Jónasson (1961, 29-33) describes these
houses as being soggy, smelly, and dark,
mostly because of the use of foul-
smelling oil which provided an inade-
quate light. There was little privacy for
the farm’s inhabitants due to the restrict-
ed space and the need to retain warmth,
and it was common for all members of
the household to sleep in the baðstofa,
often two to a bed (Jóhanesson et al.
1987; Karlsson 2000b, 250).
The diet of most Icelanders in the
19^ century was dominated by dairy
products, fish and meat. The cultivation
of vegetables only began in the 19™ cen-
tury, but in 1817 about one third of
households in Iceland were growing
tumips, cabbages, potatoes and/or other
vegetables (Jónsson & Dýrmundsson
2000,302). In the early 20^ century diets
became more diversified: potatoes soon
became part of nearly every meal, and
imports of various foodstuffs, including
different varieties of vegetables and
sugar, grew considerably (Karlsson
2000b, 251-294). This was probably
facilitated by newly constructed roads
and bridges, which helped facilitate com-
munication between farms and fishing
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