THE PRESENT vSTATE OF AGRICULTURE IN SWEDEN 93 1 



its work of improvement of cjops (i). The varieties of oats and barley 

 which are most grown in the country give on the average a crop 15 to 29 

 per cent, bigger than that of the old variety, and the latest improved wheat, 

 though only grown to a small extent so far, shows a still higher superiority 

 over the old varieties. Of course progress in this respect is chiefly observ- 

 able in the southern and most fertile portions of vSweden, while the diffi- 

 culty of increasing the yield by seed improvement increases in proportion 

 as the summer becomes shorter, the soil poorer and the climate drier. 



Agricultural Improvements. — The increase of yield is partly the result 

 of land improvements and progress in cultivation work. Drainage is of 

 the utmost importance in a country where the land is so hilly and broken 

 and the soil is as retentive of moisture as clay and peat soils. This matter 

 however, is still largely neglected, a large portion of the land being drained 

 b}' open ditches onl}^ and drainage by covered conduits and pipes mak- 

 ing but slow progress owing to the high cost of labour. To encourage cov- 

 ered drainage on small farms, the Government grants loans at low interest. 



Progress is more marked as regards ploughing, which is now done deep- 

 er, generally to at least 7 ^/^ inches but often to 10 inches. Attention is 

 also given to methodical utilisation of the soil moisture, which is of the ut- 

 most importance in a country where the rainfall during the 6 summer 

 months usualh' does not exceed 13.3 inches and during each month of the 

 spring and early summer {Ma> and June) is only 0.78 to 1.57 inches. 



In ploughing during spring and summer the principles of dry farming 

 are generally applied, that is to say, the soil is usually consolidated so that 

 the capillary moisture can rise from the deeper strata, and the surface 

 layer is loosened to prevent loss of moisture by evaporation. 



The striking development of the industry of agricultural machinery 

 in Sweden has been a factor in more effective and scientific tillage. This 

 industry supplies the country with machines and implements which meet 

 farming requirements, and it has now made such strides that whereas in 

 former years a considerable quantity of such machinery was imported, it 

 is now exported to a value of 12 to 15 million kroner. 



Manmes and Manuring. — Liming. The regions where the land is made 

 up of limestone rocks, belonging chiefly to the Silurian formation, far 

 exceed in fertility those poor in lime and belonging mainly of archaic 

 origin. The manures used in these regions are, to a larg^ extent, either 

 finely ground limestone or lime, and also, but only to a small extent nowa- 

 days, marl. In order to promote the use of these effective means of in- 

 creasing fertility, the Government makes a grant towards the cost of car- 

 riage of lime for manuring purposes. 



Farmyard Manures. — As, comparatively speaking, there is plenty 

 of livestock, there is no shortage of stable manure, which has latterly been 

 put to more effective use. Instead of manuring only once per rotation, 

 as was done formerly, the manure is now spread over several breaks, so as to 



(i) .Sec June 1913 ; pp. S51-860, The Swedish Svalof Institute, by N. lljahnar Nilsson. 

 p]). 861-870 ; Wheat and Oat seleetion at Svalof, bj- IT. Xilsson-I'lhle. 



