Almost all Anglo-Saxons were farmers. They spent most of their time working on the land, growing food and looking after animals. They mostly grew einkorn (a type of wheat), rye, barley, oats, peas and beans. They used lots of different wooden tools, like hoes, rakes, spades, billhooks and forks. Some of the hardest work was done when ploughing the fields (see picture above), before sowing the seeds. This a usually done with a piece of equipment called a 'plough'. Attached to a wooden frame is a metal blade which is pulled through the soil by animals. This: digs a 'furrow' (a line in the soil to plant seeds in) turns over the soil, bringing the best soil to the top buries weeds and the remains of the last crop so they can rot and fertilize it aerates the soil, making pockets to hold water better Saxons used a simple form of plough called an 'ard' or 'scratch plough'. This dug a furrow, but did not turn over the soil and do all the good things to it. In the 10th century, the plough was invented. Saxons also farmed animals: mostly cows, sheep and pigs, but they also kept goats, geese and chickens. They used them for meat, milk, cheese, butter, eggs, wool, leather, tallow (for making candles), bone & horn, cooking fat and feathers. Cattle and horses were used for transport. Donkeys were rare. Oxen were most important for pulling the plough or ard. Saxon animals were small: cows about 1.0-1.3m high and sheep about 50-70cm high. Pigs were dark and hairy with pointy ears.