# The Poor Peasants

The poor peasants rarely possessed more than 1 to 5 hectares of land. This was not even enough to provide bread or to produce enough corn to fatten a pig. So the poor peasant was compelled to work as a wage labourer and to take on share harvesting and other work for share, so that he could support his family, even if with great difficulty. His little land was more a hindrance to him than anything else, since he also needed to do the necessary work on it.

The houses of this group were more humble than those of the former, mostly having only two rooms. Their furnishings were traditional, but at the same time they were the first to buy cheap factory-made furniture and utensils, as necessity forced them to do so. They stoutly guarded their traditions, especially concerning folk poetry, because they were comparatively often together at social gatherings and common work projects, and always welcomed and appreciated a good singer and story-teller. This explains why most folk poetry has been collected from this stratum and that of rural agrarian labourers.