THE PRESENT STATE OF AGRICULTURE IX SWEDEN 929 



leys, 10 to 15 per cent, of the land being fallow, 3 to 4 percent planted with 

 potatoes and 0.5 to 1.5 per cent with forage root crops. 



In the districts where farming practice reaches the highest level, f allov\ing 

 often disappears, the soil being tilled by harrowing and ploughing in, especial- 

 ly after the hay and green forage crop ; the land is only sown to grass for one 

 or two 3-ears, and to the extent of 15 to 20 percent of the acreage cultivated. 

 The greater part of the land is under grains and pulses, cropped when 

 ripe or as green forage. Finalh", particular attention is gi\ en to root crops, 

 which may occupy up to 25 per cent of the arable land. As examples of 

 the rotations practised in these districts there may be mentioned: i) green 

 forage (peas, vetches, oats and barley) ; 2) winter cereals (particularly 

 wheat); 3) toot crops (sugar beet and forage roots) ; 4) spring cereal ; 

 5) grass ; 6) spring cereal — or else i) root crops ; 2) spring cereal ; 3) grass 

 or green forage ; 4) winter cereal. 



The distribution of the different types of cultivation varies greath' 

 according to the quantity of soil and the climate. Winter cereals are chiefly 

 cultivated in the plains, where the}' take up 15 to 20 per cent of the cultiva- 

 ted land, wheat only in clayey soils, and rye in sandy soils also, where, to- 

 gether with potatoes, it forms the most important crop. In marshy soils 

 winter cereals do not stand the climate well. Wheat, which is more exact- 

 ing than rye as regards the nature of the soil, on the other hand furnishes a 

 greater yield under favourable conditions and its cultivation has been consid- 

 erably extended of late years. 



Barley and oats are only grown as spring cereals, barley, (4-rowed) chiefly 

 in high lands with light ston}- soil ; oats everywhere, except in the north 

 of the country, cover the greater part (up to 30-40 %) of the cultivated land, 

 being chiefly planted on lean and also marshy soils. 2-rowed barley 

 is only grown in the plains, chiefly on the best soils with a sufficient propor- 

 tion of lime. 



Peas and vetches are almost everywhere grown mixed with oats and 

 barley, rarely alone ; this crop is chiefly raised on soils rich in lime. Beans 

 are entirely limited to the lands skirting the west coast. 



Potatoes are cultivated on all the farms of the country, generally in 

 proportion to local need, so that almost everywhere the same proportion 

 of the land is allotted to this crop (3 to 5 %). In the southern provinces 

 alone, where the soil is sandy, the area planted with potatoes is considera- 

 ably larger, the excess of the crop over local consumption being used cliiefly 

 for the manufactiire of alcohol and starch. Root crops are mostly grown 

 in the south of the country, where the sugar beet, under intensive culti- 

 vation, is of great importance from the point of view of rural economy. 

 In Scania this crop occupies 10 per cent of the cultivated land, while in 

 the other provinces it rarely exceeds 1.5 to 2 per cent. It receives special 

 attention owing to its importance in crop rotation and for stock rearing. 



Natural grass-lands were at one time very extensive, but have now 

 largely been brought under cultivation, the remainder now occupying only 

 one-third of the productive surface. Most of these grass-lands receive 

 no culti\ ation or manuring whatever and their yield is consequently 



