You could be forgiven for wondering why I have a picture of an old ex-army wagon this week, what can it possibly have to do with Barlick local history? Read on and see if it rings any bells for you.
After WW2 the Ministry of Food and Agriculture made a very important decision. We still had food rationing, the nation was bankrupt after the war and the pressing need as they saw it was to increase the production of home-grown food to cut down on expensive imports. One of the possible improvements they identified was to raise the fertility of available land by encouraging the spreading of lime and basic slag (a by-product from steelworks that was a rich source of phosphates, a basic requirement of growing crops especially grassland). The old Imperial Chemical Industries recognised the market, had access to the materials and took advantage of the generous subsidies to mount a massive marketing campaign which was very successful.
At the same time a large number of ex-war Department four wheel drive vehicles were sold to the commercial market and one firm, Sam Longson at Chapel en le Frith near Buxton, an old established haulier, recognised the opportunity, secured a contract with ICI and bought scores of these and mounted spreader bodies on them which made them the ideal way of transporting lime and slag and spreading directly on the fields.
Farmers round Barlick knew a good deal when they saw it and the ICI salesmen did well in the area. It became a common sight to see these wagons at work round the town. They came loaded with lime or slag and were accompanied by wagons carrying further supplies. The spreader wagon did its job on the fields and then drew up next to the loaded wagon and the drivers shovelled more material in to be spread. It was a lot of hard work but efficient and due to the subsidy very profitable all round. As word spread of the benefits of top dressing, particularly on pastures and meadows newly reseeded after the war years when many were ploughed for arable crops, more and more farms availed themselves of the service.
Eventually the subsidy was reduced and the practice became less attractive. Sales dropped and Sam Longson's wagons were no longer a common sight in the area. At the same time the wagons themselves were wearing out and needed replacing which was not economical. ICI switched their sales efforts to selling bagged fertilizer and the farmers bought tractor mounted spreaders and did the job themselves, a practice that continues to this day.
So you see, my picture of the wagon illustrates a Forgotten Corner that mainly affected our local farmers but I have an idea that I might have stirred a memory in those old enough to remember. For about fifteen years Sam Longson's spreader wagons were part of our local history and did good work. Some of us think that it may be time once more to help the farmers produce more food.....
An ex-army four wheel drive wagon with a spreader body mounted on it.
