DOI article:
Mingote Calderón, José Luis: Yokes for three cows: a vanished technique for breaking in cattle in La Sierra Norte of Madrid
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49004#0017
YOKES FOR THREE COWS
9
Fig. 8. Yoke for rejacar wheat from Pradena del Rincon (Madrid). Length 145 cm. □ Joch zum rejacar
von Weizen, aus Pradena del Rincon (Madrid). Lange 145 cm.
Finally it has been observed that non-do-
mesticated cattle are mentioned in the Orde-
nanzas sobre ganados in 1582 which revised
the Ordenanzas de Villa y Tierra de Buitrago.
In section 7 the presence of such cows is reg-
ulated in entrepanes (uncultivated fields
within the area of cultivable land): “It was
also agreed that up to eighteen untamed cows
could have access to the better fields of the
concejo and entrepanes and that they could be
together with oxen as long as they stayed in-
side” (Fernandez Garcia 1966, I: 186).
It is worth pointing out that a wide variety
of yokes relating to cattle has been used. Fer-
nandez Montes (1990, 253) collected four dif-
ferent types: for rye fields, for wheat fields,
for potatoe cultivation and for a cart, each
with a distinctive shape.
However, the function is not clear and this
classification requires more precision. Based
on data and illustrations from Pradena del
Rincon functionality could perhaps be ex-
plained as follows: shorter yokes were mostly
used for ploughing and threshing (Fig. 7); the
next in size were mainly employed for tasks
such rejacar wheat (ploughing of hilly fields
to protect the plant when it is springing up)
(Fig. 8). The third and bigger type was used
when sowing potatoes (Fig. 9). Yokes used
for carts were considered of a different type
since they had a central enlargement called
mesilla or mesa (Fig. 10). At Gandullas the
function of the first two types is defined by
the ploughing technique. Hence, the smaller
yoke was used to plough very closely without
leaving ridges and furrows. This method was
mostly employed to plough rye fields. The
bigger one was used as stated above to plough
9
Fig. 8. Yoke for rejacar wheat from Pradena del Rincon (Madrid). Length 145 cm. □ Joch zum rejacar
von Weizen, aus Pradena del Rincon (Madrid). Lange 145 cm.
Finally it has been observed that non-do-
mesticated cattle are mentioned in the Orde-
nanzas sobre ganados in 1582 which revised
the Ordenanzas de Villa y Tierra de Buitrago.
In section 7 the presence of such cows is reg-
ulated in entrepanes (uncultivated fields
within the area of cultivable land): “It was
also agreed that up to eighteen untamed cows
could have access to the better fields of the
concejo and entrepanes and that they could be
together with oxen as long as they stayed in-
side” (Fernandez Garcia 1966, I: 186).
It is worth pointing out that a wide variety
of yokes relating to cattle has been used. Fer-
nandez Montes (1990, 253) collected four dif-
ferent types: for rye fields, for wheat fields,
for potatoe cultivation and for a cart, each
with a distinctive shape.
However, the function is not clear and this
classification requires more precision. Based
on data and illustrations from Pradena del
Rincon functionality could perhaps be ex-
plained as follows: shorter yokes were mostly
used for ploughing and threshing (Fig. 7); the
next in size were mainly employed for tasks
such rejacar wheat (ploughing of hilly fields
to protect the plant when it is springing up)
(Fig. 8). The third and bigger type was used
when sowing potatoes (Fig. 9). Yokes used
for carts were considered of a different type
since they had a central enlargement called
mesilla or mesa (Fig. 10). At Gandullas the
function of the first two types is defined by
the ploughing technique. Hence, the smaller
yoke was used to plough very closely without
leaving ridges and furrows. This method was
mostly employed to plough rye fields. The
bigger one was used as stated above to plough