Takács Lajos: A Kis-Balaton és környéke - Somogyi Almanach 27-29. (Kaposvár, 1978)
Irodalom
pastures along the shore of the Lake Balaton became very scarce in consequence of pressure of great estates, and also because routes for driving swine to market passed the Kis-Balaton region. This was the road towards Sopron and Vienna, and further on, as far as Münich, on which road the swine from Slavonia were driven. In the southern part of Somogy County maize was grown in large quantities to feed these swine. Parallel to the above development pigs and cattle of the villagers were left no room at all on the pastures and instead of the shores around the Kis-Balaton had to be driven onto the islands of the marchland. When feudal bonds were altered in the XIXth century even on these islands pasture became impossible for villagers as these pastures were now used for cattle rented by great estates. Herdsmen would drive the cattle onto the islands in springtime when the flood was high and live with beats on the island until autumn. The herdsman made himself a little hut to spend the night in and drove the cattle into a fold. The cattle would be driven ouf from the island sometimes only in wintertime when the water had frozen. During the XVIIIth century instead of the relatively free use of forests as during feudal times a prohibition of using clearings began. Selling wood to make utensils was very profitable for great estates especially to barrel-makers of the Balaton vinyards. Even the branches could be used for barrel-hoops and sold for profit. Since the XVIIIth century whole forests were felled in order to fire potash. When the serfs of the villages could not gather wood any more from forests they would use the bushland, the „berek”, the willows and alder- trees growing in the march. Baskets and cases to hold fish could be made aut of willow. Reeds were used for roofs, fences and also for fuel. Sedge was also made use of by the villagers living around the Kis-Balaton, and in the period between the two wars it was sold to Italian merchants. Sedge could be used as fodder or to put under animals. Implements for cutting reed and sedge preserved ancient traditions which may be traced as far back as Celtic and Roman times, and their form still exists today. The meadows an the drier part of the „berek” — bushland yielded an enormous quantitiy of hay year by year. Paying a slight rent anyboby could occupy a meadow and clear it. The rent would only have to be paid after the hay was cut. On the western shore of the Kis-Balaton methods of free occupation was still practised at the end of the last century. On the eastern shore the quality of the meadow was better and so the meadow was distributed by keepers of the great estates. Bushland had to cleared before cutting the hay, the bogs had to be taken out and carried away, the roots of the reeds to be broken up. This was done mostly with the help of manual implements, clearing hoes, hatchets, wooden clubs. Sometimes a roll drawn by horses vould be used. The dried-up reeds had to be burnt before the territory was cleared. 206
