PEAT COLONIAL AGRICULTURE

After the peat was excavated, poor sandy soil was revealed. This could be cultivated into (in terms of structure) good agricultural land if mixed with the top layer of peat, the bonkaarde or bolster. As fuel, this layer was unsuitable, so it was set aside and later mixed with the sand. The mixture is known as peat colonial soil. The term 'valley soil' is also commonly used, but strictly speaking, this refers to the released sandy subsoil.
Fertilization of the soil often took place until the early 20th century with city manure (waste from the large cities). Farmers in the peat colonies also kept livestock for the necessary fertilizer supply for a long time. With the introduction of synthetic fertilizers at the end of the 19th century, mixed farming disappeared. In the peat colonial areas of Groningen and Drenthe, the cultivation of industrial potatoes became especially important. In the Frisian peat colonies, the emphasis was placed on livestock farming.

Biker