1045 



as 3 to 1. Bul the »fishing-line« and the »spade« have always 

 been antagonistic; they will always require differenl qualities in 

 their respective users — so different that elever fishermen are gene- 

 rally bad farmers, and vice-verså. Now the people of the Færoes 

 have made very rapid progress, especially during the last tv^^enty 

 years, in all departments concerned with the utilisation of the 

 abundance of fish contained in the sea ; consequently it is not 

 astonishing that the agricultural development of the country has 

 been somewhat slow, but this is unwise, because here, as is the 

 case in the Shetland Islands agriculture ought to afford good sup- 

 port to the leading industry of the Islands, namely the fisheries 

 (Sando and the environs of Thorshavn may be mentioned as excep- 

 tions; the conditions favourable to the development of agriculture, 

 which exist in the former place have proved that elever fishermen 

 can also be good farmers; and in the latter place the agricultural 

 products are sold at very high prices owing to the faet that good means 

 of transport have been established). As is w^ell-known, fishing cannot 

 be carried on successfully at all seasons of the year, nor by people 

 of all ages; consequently, wherever fishing is the sole employment 

 of the inhabitants, much time and much energy will be wasted 

 which might have been employed very advantageously in turning 

 to account the productive qualities of the soil , which in the 

 Færoes, in spite of the northern position of the Islands, and, of 

 their mighty rock formations^ — mighty in comparison with the 

 Shetland Islands — show as great power of grass-production as 

 those of the latter istands. 



With respect to the season of growth the summary of the 

 amount of rainfall and of heat shows the folio wing figures in 

 regard to the Shetlands: — 



April May June Julj' August September 



Mean heat 5-9° C. Id" C. lOTOC. 11-9 "C. 121 •» C. 106 »C. 



Mean rainfall mm.. 50 40 39 59 83 79 



The corresponding figures for T h o r s h a v n (T h e F æ r 6 e s) are : — ^ 



Mean heat 5-5» C. 7-2° C. 9-70C. lOS« C. lOS^C. 94 « C. 



Mean rainfall mm.. 93 88 77 87 100 134 



As may be seen, the heat is somewhat less and the rainfall 



much greater in the Færoes than in the Shetlands; the rich peaty 



^ The highest point in the Færoes is Slattaretind : 882 metres. The highest 

 point in the Shetlands is Roenshill : 441 metres. 



- See Willaume Jantzen. Færoernes Klima: Atlanten, 1905, p. 194. 



67* 



