Category: Agriculture

Haymaking

In the 19th century, subsistence farming was the mainstay of Quebec villages. In summer, haymaking was the order of the day. Haymaking was a crucial period, as grain […]

A lady with her poultry, circa 1930

At the beginning of the 20th century, many Grondines inhabitants made a living from subsistence farming.  

Mr. Louis Dolbec, Grondines, October 28, 1938

Two children with their calves, Grondines, circa 1955

By the turn of the 1950s, many Grondines farms were dedicated to dairy production.

Ox harnessed for field work, circa 1940

Before the advent of motorized farm machinery, fields were ploughed using horses and oxen.

L’arrache-pierres (1989) (The Stone-puller), Thérèse Sauvageau

Removing stones from the fields was a springtime chore from which farmers could not escape.

Herd of cows on a Grondines farm, circa 1940

As in many regions of Quebec, dairy production became increasingly important in Grondines in the first half of the 20th century. The province moved from subsistence farming to […]

Grondines farmer, circa 1955

The modernization of agricultural production and greater access to machinery have greatly contributed to its development.

L’épierrement (1987) (Rock removal), Thérère Sauvageau

As British traveller John Lambert reported in 1814, the seigneury of Grondines “consists of one vast bed of gray rock or lime-stone, slightly covered with a poor soil […]