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Fen Harvest

1968 , Fens (Fens)

Cat no. 392

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Chicory growing and the benefits of crop spraying.

The films shows the advantages to farmers of growing chicory from pellet seed rather than conventional seed. It also shows the benefits of a band spray to control the weeds and so produce a better crop. The film begins with general scenes from the North Cambridgeshire Fen, shot along the Forty Foot Drain, between Chatteris and Ramsey. A van travels through the countryside arriving at a farm near Ramsey where chicory is beingharvested by a beet harvester. There is a close-up shot of chicory and the farmer explains about how chicory is grown and about how important it is to prepare the seed bed. This year he aims to increase yield from 13.5 tons per acre to 15 tons per acre. A sequence in a laboratory shows the soil being analysed so that the correct pre-emergence spray can be applied to the land. The chicory seed in its pellet form is sown by a drill fitted with a band sprayer which applies the pre-emergence spray. A gapper thins out the young crop. The film show the field where pre-emergence spray was not used. Women are clearing weeds by hand. There are exterior shots of the Arthur Rickwood Experimental Station near Mepal showing rows chicory planted at different times. The best crops come from the earlier sowing. There are shots of St. Ives Bridge, of Ramsey Abbey and of Ely Cathedral. An unnamed church is featured to illustrate the passing seasons. There are some shots of a farm near Ely before comparisons of the weight of pellet seed and conventional seed. A lorry takes the chicory through the fen to the processing factory, which we do not see. The lorry passes through the village of Ramsey Forty Foot.

Featured Buildings

Arthur Rickwood Experimental Station; Ely Cathedral; St. Ives Bridge; Ramsey Abbey

Featured Events

Fen Harvest.

Keywords

Agriculture; Chicory; Crop spraying

Other Places

Ely; Mepal St. Ives; Ramsey; Ramsey Forty Foot

Manifestations

Fen Harvest

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