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On several occasions, I spotted greenhouses. Given that is was early in the season, what would grow underneath could not be seen and as they were not along the road, I could not go any closer. That might be tomatoes for the internal market.
On the first photo there are more than two dozens of women working in the field … and on man watching. He has the hard work : alone against two dozen women! Will he survive?On the second photo, there are again two dozens of women working but this time there are several men … watching!On the last photo, this is the world upside down. In the left, there are four men. Two of them work with a pick, or better lean on a peak. And the dozen and a half women watches!
In 1988, I was stroke by the number of people that were working in the fields. Looking more carefully, I discovered that they were mainly women! If you enlarge the photos, you can check what I say.First photo : about 15 women working in the field and one single man working on top of a cart (left background).Second photo : five women working hard with pickaxes, no man.Third photo : three women working hard with pickaxes, no man.Fourth photo : three men taking a nap in the shade! Here they are! I guess they are supervising the work of the women!Fifth photo : actually women too do take a rest!
However, even if in 1988 tractors were not a really many, I could notice some of them. Some were strange engines such as the one shown on the first photo, that might be the improbable offspring of a tank, a locomotive and a 19th century steamroller. On the second photo, the gang of three identical engines seems of the same breed! This was not a prototype!The caterpillar engine on the third photo looks more usual, as do the other caterpillar tractors used on the fourth and forth photo for hay collection.!
However, the main use of horses was in 1988 for fast transport of people and in 2005, I have seen that in the country, that was still true. The carts are made with recycled parts of cars! Not only the axle is the main part, but parts of the body of the car can be reused too!
Most of the time, horses are used for faster and lighter transport.However, as can be seen on the first photo, carts with inflatable tyres can be used for heavy loads too, given that the surface of the road is hard enough for the cart will not sink. On the left, one of those small bunker of the 50s.
Litter and manure are heavy and have a strong smell. Oxen are the most fit to their transport as horses are sometimes disturbed by the strong odor of manure and can become a bit nervous. In 2005, I have not seen any oxen drawn carriage but the road from the border to Shkodër is short. We will see in 2006 on a longer ride!
In 1988, the use of oxen to draw heavy loads was very frequent. For centuries, oxen have been extensively used as farm animals all over Europe. They are very powerful and quiet, which makes them easy to drive. They are perfectly fit for example to draw carts heavily loaded with hay from the fields to the farm. If the cart, with its wooden wheels, sinks in the mud (fourth photo), they just draw stronger!
Cows may not be the farm animals that were the most visible in Albania in 1988 but, nevertheless, there were small herds (first and second photo) It seems that there were also industrial farms such as the one shown on the third photo.
In the lowlands of Albania, ditches have been built to drain marshes that grew only shrubs of no value. It has given fertile lands and the ditches are perfectly suitable for growing ducks. In several places I have seen large flocks of ducks like this one.
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