DOI Artikel:
Mohan, Vijneshu: [Rezension von: Axel Steensberg, First clearance husbandry, traditional techniques throughout the world
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49004#0134
122
REVIEWS
trip world wide to familiarize him with the diverse
methods of fire clearance and crop husbandry.
As agriculture develops into an industry, fire
clearance is shown to be confined to sparsely in-
habited forest areas. The reviewer agrees with this
keen observation to find that, in the hilly tracts of
India, Zhoom cultivation is fast becoming a rarity.
Perhaps the movements against deforestation, like
the Chipko Andolan (Garhwal Himalayas, India),
have contributed to the lack of interest in fire
clearance for agricultural practices. The phenom-
enon might not be widespread as fire clearance is
still prevalent as an isolated practice, for example,
amongst the Savaria Paharia of North Eastern In-
dia.
The first part of Steensberg’s book gives de-
tailed descriptions of slash and burn agriculture. It
is mainly based on written sources. The author
brilliantly outlines the practices, especially in the
tribal areas of North and Meso-America, South
America, Africa, South Asia, Papua New Guinea,
China, Korea, Siberia, Fenno-Scandia, the area
from the Baltic to the Alps and Western Europe.
The whole attempt is creditable as “migratory
agriculture” is dealt with on an enormous scale
while consciously preserving the inherent richness
and variety.
In the first part, the author describes ringbark-
ing or girdling, pollarding or lopping and win-
drow felling as three main methods of felling the
trees. Of these three, windrow felling is the less
often practised method of felling the trees. There
are areas, for example, in Africa where the pre-
ferred technique is not known according to the
author. According to Steensberg, the rise in Afri-
can population acted as a delayed action bomb as
opposed to the Papua New Guinea tribes where
family planning is known to have existed in re-
mote times. In an analytical vein, the population
pressure hypothesis is criticised as an impetus to
technical progress in agricultural societies. For In-
dia, Steensberg looks again at ash-mound clear-
ance as indicative of fire clearance husbandry.
However, the recent excavations at the ash-mound
site of Budihal relate the working of ash-mounds
with pastoral activities instead of the settled agri-
culture (Paddayya 1993, 73).
I'he first part details the assart effect that de-
pletes the forest of nutrients as unburned vegeta-
tion is slow in releasing nutrients in a slashed for-
est. Reading the first part one gets the impression
that dibbles are commonly used for planting seeds.
The author’s personal observation from Finland
highlights an interesting practice of taking small
seeds, like those of American Turnip, in the mouth
and spitting them on both sides. Steensberg gives
the information that the terms connected with
burn or burnt are associated with the Danish place
names. Similar observations are recorded for Hun-
gary.
The second part of the text deals with the paring
off or burning. The turf spade is normally used to
pile up mound heaps. According to Steensberg the
centre of these heaps consists of ignitable dung,
like in Ethopia, which is reduced to ash after burn-
ing, leaving aggregates of soil into brick-like gran-
ules. The scholarship of the book takes the reader
to the realm of burning stacks for fertilization. Be-
sides the text based on written evidence of agrarian
authors, the book gives the important details of
the Draved wood experiment.
The usefulness of experimental learning be-
comes obvious as Alder, Aspen and Birch are not
known to be ring barked. These three species are
known to become mouldy or mushy on ringbark-
ing-
The central theme of the book is abtly clarified
in the concluding part of the book. The treatise is
aptly based on the hypothesis that the inherited
biomechanics enable men to meet identical chal-
lenges. The author admits to searching for tradi-
tional working processes as they developed and
left their traces. Steensberg is aware of the adverse
effects of firing especially in the form of smoke as
a potential pollutant. The author concedes that fire
benefits by killing insects and not the termites as
the latter acted as soil cultivators. The book has
given strength to the concept of rational and eco-
nomic use of natural resources and labour power.
Steensberg does not ignore the fact that forest re-
generation began in Europe as early as the 18th
century. Even after having written a pleasantly ex-
haustive text the author modestly declares that on-
ly a bit of the management of the planet is known.
The book is very well produced. To illustrate
the text there are numerous photographs, line
REVIEWS
trip world wide to familiarize him with the diverse
methods of fire clearance and crop husbandry.
As agriculture develops into an industry, fire
clearance is shown to be confined to sparsely in-
habited forest areas. The reviewer agrees with this
keen observation to find that, in the hilly tracts of
India, Zhoom cultivation is fast becoming a rarity.
Perhaps the movements against deforestation, like
the Chipko Andolan (Garhwal Himalayas, India),
have contributed to the lack of interest in fire
clearance for agricultural practices. The phenom-
enon might not be widespread as fire clearance is
still prevalent as an isolated practice, for example,
amongst the Savaria Paharia of North Eastern In-
dia.
The first part of Steensberg’s book gives de-
tailed descriptions of slash and burn agriculture. It
is mainly based on written sources. The author
brilliantly outlines the practices, especially in the
tribal areas of North and Meso-America, South
America, Africa, South Asia, Papua New Guinea,
China, Korea, Siberia, Fenno-Scandia, the area
from the Baltic to the Alps and Western Europe.
The whole attempt is creditable as “migratory
agriculture” is dealt with on an enormous scale
while consciously preserving the inherent richness
and variety.
In the first part, the author describes ringbark-
ing or girdling, pollarding or lopping and win-
drow felling as three main methods of felling the
trees. Of these three, windrow felling is the less
often practised method of felling the trees. There
are areas, for example, in Africa where the pre-
ferred technique is not known according to the
author. According to Steensberg, the rise in Afri-
can population acted as a delayed action bomb as
opposed to the Papua New Guinea tribes where
family planning is known to have existed in re-
mote times. In an analytical vein, the population
pressure hypothesis is criticised as an impetus to
technical progress in agricultural societies. For In-
dia, Steensberg looks again at ash-mound clear-
ance as indicative of fire clearance husbandry.
However, the recent excavations at the ash-mound
site of Budihal relate the working of ash-mounds
with pastoral activities instead of the settled agri-
culture (Paddayya 1993, 73).
I'he first part details the assart effect that de-
pletes the forest of nutrients as unburned vegeta-
tion is slow in releasing nutrients in a slashed for-
est. Reading the first part one gets the impression
that dibbles are commonly used for planting seeds.
The author’s personal observation from Finland
highlights an interesting practice of taking small
seeds, like those of American Turnip, in the mouth
and spitting them on both sides. Steensberg gives
the information that the terms connected with
burn or burnt are associated with the Danish place
names. Similar observations are recorded for Hun-
gary.
The second part of the text deals with the paring
off or burning. The turf spade is normally used to
pile up mound heaps. According to Steensberg the
centre of these heaps consists of ignitable dung,
like in Ethopia, which is reduced to ash after burn-
ing, leaving aggregates of soil into brick-like gran-
ules. The scholarship of the book takes the reader
to the realm of burning stacks for fertilization. Be-
sides the text based on written evidence of agrarian
authors, the book gives the important details of
the Draved wood experiment.
The usefulness of experimental learning be-
comes obvious as Alder, Aspen and Birch are not
known to be ring barked. These three species are
known to become mouldy or mushy on ringbark-
ing-
The central theme of the book is abtly clarified
in the concluding part of the book. The treatise is
aptly based on the hypothesis that the inherited
biomechanics enable men to meet identical chal-
lenges. The author admits to searching for tradi-
tional working processes as they developed and
left their traces. Steensberg is aware of the adverse
effects of firing especially in the form of smoke as
a potential pollutant. The author concedes that fire
benefits by killing insects and not the termites as
the latter acted as soil cultivators. The book has
given strength to the concept of rational and eco-
nomic use of natural resources and labour power.
Steensberg does not ignore the fact that forest re-
generation began in Europe as early as the 18th
century. Even after having written a pleasantly ex-
haustive text the author modestly declares that on-
ly a bit of the management of the planet is known.
The book is very well produced. To illustrate
the text there are numerous photographs, line