Oil seed

Oil seed growing on the outskirts of Kirkby Underwood in the spring of 2001

Many of the fields around Bourne turn a golden yellow each spring as hundreds of acres of oilseed rape burst into flower. Some people claim that this bright colour is garish and one that intrudes upon the traditional English landscape and although it may be unfamiliar to some because its appearance in many areas is comparatively recent, it has in fact been with us for centuries.

The appearance of the crop in springtime can also offensive to some people who dislike the brilliant yellow blossom and its strong smelling scent, claiming that it is an inappropriate colour with a sickly and inescapable stench, not to mention the massive problems it causes to hay fever, asthma and other sufferers. Yellow is one of the most frequent colours in nature's palette but it is easy to understand why so many people believe that oil seed is a recent innovation.

Old books on farming frequently refer to oil seed as cole or coleseed and in the absence of photographs, this has confused many people as to the crop's identity. Also, its eye-catching colour that has proliferated in the fields in the past 30 years has persuaded the public that it is a new crop when in fact it is an ancient one.

The Dutch engineers who came here to drain the fens four centuries ago were among the first to plant oilseed rape (Brassica napus) in Britain because they needed the oil it produced to lubricate their drainage pumps. Lord Willoughby, who opposed the draining of the fens, wrote as early as 1598 in a letter to the Earl of Essex that he was convinced the land to be drained was eminently suited for growing rape seed "which is of singular use to make soap and oils with" and would therefore "not help the general poor but undo them and make those that are already rich far more rich".

William Wheeler, in his book A History of the Fens of South Lincolnshire (1868) described oil seed as being a popular crop when the Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden began his task during the early 17th century and as Lord Willougby had predicted, the newly enclosed land was particularly suitable for its cultivation and it therefore became a major crop, second only to cereals such as oats, and used mainly for making soap and oil.

In a petition to King Charles I (1600-1649), it was stated that since the draining of the fens, crop yields had increased dramatically and they had an abundance of all sorts of grain and "seed for oyl". This was a cogent reason for oil seed production two centuries before the discovery of petroleum and so one of the most important functions of the fens after drainage was to provide England with a continual supply of soap.

The image of oilseed rape remained industrial until the 1970s when it began to be promoted as an edible oil, a home-grown alternative to groundnuts, sunflowers and soya. Since then, acreage has increased enormously and the yellow flowers have become a common sight in the farming counties and here in the Bourne area, the crops can be seen in abundance and their strong smelling scent wafts across the road as you pass. It is perhaps the most frequently planted break crop for the revenue from a good harvest of rape seed can equal or exceed that of wheat because it can be sold for a good price to the crushing mills for conversion into vegetable oil and its high profit potential has lured many farmers away from continuous cereals.

Rape is drilled in late August immediately after the cereal harvest and the seeds, contained in long pods at the top of the stem, are ready for combining the following summer but they must not be left to become too ripe otherwise the pods shatter before they enter the combine and the small brown seeds are lost. Many farmers therefore cut it early and let it dry in the field, a practice known as swathing, and these piles of dried stalks thrown into rows by the cutter can often be seen in the fields in late summer. The combine is then able to pick up the dried rape and thresh it with less wastage.

The sight of huge swathes of this crop in the countryside is a sure sign that spring is well and truly here but there are some who object to the name oilseed rape and all that it implies, claiming that it does not sit easily with the glorious sight of acre after acre of beautiful yellow flowers giving off their pungent smell. Many farmers in Britain now merely use the term oil seed but political correctness in North America has taken its identification a step forward. A friend in British Columbia, Canada, tells me that the name has been changed to canola and the resulting oil product which is sold for cooking is known as canola oil.