"Foragir" is a rather ancient word that can be used in different meanings.
Now it can already be considered archaism - a relic of the past. However, it is often found in history textbooks or in animal husbandry manuals. Who are foragers and what did they do?
Fodder
The word "forage" in the narrow sense means livestock feed. In its quality, crushed vegetative parts of plants are used. Fodder is used both raw and dried. There are also grain fodder. That is, livestock feed, which is made from grains of various cereal crops. The feed can be used both for immediate needs and in the long run. Hay harvested for the winter is fodder. In this case, forager is a person who is engaged in the preparation of feed. In pre-revolutionary times, this was the name of the whole post. Now this word is almost never used. In the Soviet Union, forager is a person who produces feed on a collective farm.
Warfare
The first foragers appeared before our era. And they were connected with the army. In the original sense, fodder was only livestock feed. In any army there were many animals. The most common were horses. Some warriors fought on them (cavalry), and animals also dragged carts with ammunition and supplies. One hundred kilometers of medieval military campaign took two weeks. One knight could carry up to three horses. Four to six animals harnessed to each wagon. And they all had to eat something. At some point, the military leaders realized that feeding horses “on the spot” was not very convenient.
Therefore, special units were created that were engaged in the preparation of feed and its delivery to the army.
What did foragers do
Harvesting began a few weeks before the start of the military campaign. However, if the army went to another country or even to other continents, it was clear that it was impossible to procure feed in advance. Therefore, foragers mined it on the ground during the campaign. The forager is not a specially trained person, but any soldier who has been entrusted with collecting the forages.
This was done in several ways.
- A tax was imposed on the local population. After occupying certain lands, a mandatory tribute was imposed on the peasants. For example, from each hectare of the garden a person had to hand over ten buckets of potatoes and so on. This tax was collected by local foremen, who then sent the fodder to the feudal lord, from whom the military had already taken it.
- The military themselves were engaged in direct procurement. Most often, this method was used in the wild, where there were no settlements or when the occupying army wanted to win the loyalty of the local population. Ordinary soldiers mowed grass, dug vegetables and so on.
- Robbery and looting. One of the most common ways during long trips. The soldiers of the occupying army simply went to nearby settlements and took away everything they wanted.
This method most quickly replenished the stocks of fodder, but did not add popularity to the military.
Very often, during campaigns, the army could combine different methods of obtaining fodder.