Episode 2: Peat extraction in the Aamsveen - 'the best stuff'

Personal use

The wealthier farmers used their labourers for this work. When there was less to do on the farms in winter, this was a good way to keep the labourers busy. Most of the peat was used for home consumption. And so it was also the main fuel in the area around the Aamsveen. Hard coal was rarely burnt. ‘We had maybe a few quintals of coal every year, but that didn’t make much difference,’ recalls Koning.

Drying sites

The farmers who cut their own peat created one or more peat drying areas. The Aamsveen is the area of the drying fields par excellence. They had names such as Stroinksdel or Wagelaarsdel. There were once twelve, of varying sizes. The drying places were paved with field stones. Wet excavated peat was unloaded here. The mud was mixed with pipe grass (‘there was more than enough of that’). After that, the paving and tamping began. Horses were used for this and, even earlier, oxen. Finally, people would walk over it with planks under their clogs to tread it flat. When the whole thing was sufficiently dry, blocks were cut. That was the ‘best stuff’! Once the blocks had been cut, they were stacked next to the drying area to dry further. In good weather, this took another three months or so.

Horsepower

A pole stood in the centre of the drying area. A horse was tethered to it. The horses were not loaded on one side, as was the case with the ship’s trudging. A chain was attached to the pole in the centre, to which a short, thick stick was attached. The horse could thus be harnessed normally. To lead the horse round, a long stick was attached to the bridle. This was used to drive the horse. According to legend, the horses also wore planks under their hooves. Koning makes short work of this story: ‘Complete nonsense, that’s not even possible’.

Nervous

Today, there are only a few dry places left and they are not easy to recognise: Many stones have been removed over the years and used for other purposes. The horses were used on the moor, but not all of them were suitable for this. One characteristic of the moor is that it moves. Nervous horses were frightened by this. They then made the wrong movements, which made them even more stuck.

Reclamation

After peat extraction, the Dutch part of the Aamsveen was not reclaimed. According to Koning, this was attempted, but the drainage was not carried out properly at the time – the area remained wet. As a result, the soil was simply left as wasteland. However, efforts were made on the German side. This was done by deep ploughing. Everything, including entire birch trees, was worked into the ground. Winches driven by steam engines were used for this purpose. The roar of the machines could be heard as far away as the Netherlands.