The manureman

So many old professions have been abolished or changed with the arrival of the industrial era. In Crete, on of them was the manureman. His job was collecting equine manure from the streets and roads. Manuremen worked as public servants; they were paid by the city council and each of them had their own zones to work on. They were paid by kilogrammes and needed to pick two kilogrammes of manure to be able to afford a loaf of bread.

Of course, equine manure is known to be the best fertiliser for plants, therefore, the manureman had a few antagonists: it was the agricultural families, who sent their children to collect manure from equines which were led to the fields early in the morning. My father is still proud to have done this chore, which he found quite fun!

Personally, when I think about riding around the town centre, I do wish there were still manuremen!