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Haymaking

Dated: 1929
Taken by: Guy Brighouse

The photograph of the haywagon was taken in 1920 in the field on the north of the footpath leading from Dale Road (Blue Gates) to the settlement at Ockbrook.

The pony and float belonged to Mr G Brighouse, who ran a milk business from 45 Dale Road from 1928 to 1940.  The pony is a Welsh cob.  At the time the photograph was taken she was nearly 30 years ol.  The churns in the float held 17 gallons of milk (=170 lbs) and weighed about 1/2 cwt each.  At this time the price of milk was 6d. (2 1/2p) a quart in winter an 5d. (2 1/4p) in summer.  From 1931 to 1934 it fell to 4 1/2d. in summer.  Homemade butter was 1s. 6d. per lb (7 1/2p) and cheese 1s. 0d. (5p).  I only made butter when I had a surplus o fmilk, as it takes 3 1/2 to 4 gallons of milk to produce 1 quart of cream which is needed to make 1 lb of butter.  As milk cost 1s. 4d (7p) per gallon, it was a far from profitable occupation!!  Also the milk had to be run through a separator to produce the cream, and then churned to produce the butter; in all 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  In the winter the milk was 1s.8 1/2d per gallon.  The man holding the pony is Bill Coxon, who worked for me for several years.  He was brother to Jack, who ran a greengrocer's business from the shop in Moor Street which is now Spondon Florist (1987).  At this time there was no bottled milk; the churns had a tap at the bottom from which we filled buckets and measured the milk from it into the customers' jugs or basins.  Before the Milk Marketing Board was formed (mid 1930s), dairymen contracted with the farmers direct at the end of September, to start 1st October for one year, to buy, say, 30 gallons per day, plus or minus 3 or 4 gallons.  Cows were not sufficiently obliging to give the same amount every day for a year!

Guy Brighouse, 1987

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