The Bequest of docent Osvald
to the hop-growing of our days
Ing. Jan FencL Minister of Agliculture of the Czech Republic
The centenary anniversary of the birthday of a distinguished personage - which undoubtedly docent dr. Karel Osvald was - is a certain turning point at which it is proper and suitable to stop and have a look around. I appreciate the approach of our hop-growing representatives to the commemoration of traditions and I am pleased by this fact. My pleasure would be multiplied, if today's hop-farmers would be able to return to their field, which used to be our pride, its former dominant position in Europe.
I dare to bring up the fact, in which I see the speciality of docent Osvalïs personage. As a young worker he went through agricultural research institutes and from 1932 he was running the research agricultural station in Deštnice by Žatec, when shortly before that he was charged with the task of the methodical management of hop research and improvement on this station. It does no harm to remind ourselves of some other facts from those times. Representatives and important personages in hop-growing, but also practical hop-farmers longed and called for the establishment of specialized hop-growing research which as matter of fact did not exist. From the very beginning it was obvious that the station in Deštnice would have its main mission in hop research and improvement. Someone was sought, and in the person of ing. Karel Osvald also successfully found a personality, who would fulfil this mission. Today when we evaluate this stage looking back we can concede with certainty the role of hop-growing research and hop improvement founder to Osvald.
It was not an easy matter to find and set the right research direction as it can appear now. It is necessary to pay regard to the then economic-political situation. The economy of the newly formed Czechoslovak Republic after the First World War had its specificity also in hop-farming. The war depression in hop-farming was replaced by a period of boom which culminated in the second half of the thirties. During this period we also had the biggest hop areas (in 1929 - 17,264 hectares). This period was replaced by a general economic crisis, when in 1931 as a consequence of hop over-production the purchase prices did not cover even one third of real production costs. Osvald founded the hop-growing research in the beginning of the second half of the thirties, that is in the boom period and besides cultivation he was able to solve also problems of zone-setting, growing technology, fertilization, harvest, after-harvest modification as well as soil-valuing. With the exception of the protection of hops against harmful agents thus everything substantial for hop and that is to say for the direct use of hop-farmers.
What he did for our hop-growing in less than forty-nine years of his life is our treasure which we will pass on to next generations.
It is to the credit of successive generations in the post-Osvald stage, that it was aware of this heritage, it has preserved this wealth, it has developed it and it has materialised in all our hop-growing. Certainly the true fulillment of docent Osvalïs legacy can be seen in creative development of the hop-growing branch and in respecting the world development, including industrial technologies of beer production. There is a well-known saying "Let us revere the tradition, let us find enlightenment in it and let us develop it into newly existing conditions". Let us use the centenary anniversary of docent Osvalïs birth and let us try to honour his legacy and to use every opportunity for the benefit of the Czech hop, because we ourselves will profit from that. Let us recall also hard times, which accompanied our hop-growing in the crisis period and in particular let us use our experience as well as the experience of our neighbours in the EU. I am convinced that all workers in the hop-growing sector as well as in the legislative- administrative and organisational management areas are concerned with the preservation of this branch of agricultural production and securing its adequate position in agriculture. Only by achieving this intention we will fulfil with dignity the legacy of docent Osvalïs great work.
