416 ^fjyicuUvral Tow- 



that this method of stocking by the proprietor is a matter of 

 necessity, if he wish to let his farm at all. In an improving dis- 

 trict, however, time may be expected to remove this necessity. 



The wages of men-servants are from 26 to 30, and of women 

 from 16 to 20 dollars a-year (9i to the pound sterling). When 

 hired for the summer half-year only, a somewhat higher wage is 

 given. In summer they generally have five meals a-day. At 

 four in the morning their clovre — beer, bread, and dried or pickled 

 herrings; at eight a millemad (mellemmad, middle meal) of 

 bread, butter, cheese, and brandy (to save trouble, a dozen 

 bottles of brandy are generally allowed to each for the summer) ; 

 at twelve is middagsmad — soup made of flesh and vegetables 

 with the meat, or a pudding of buckwheat or barley with milk, 

 and dried fish or fried bacon, with potatoes and beer ; at four or 

 five another millemad; and at seven, eight, or nine, always a 

 buckwheat or barley pudding made with milk. 



The estimated money-rent of land, together with the taxes, 

 amounts to about five per cent, upon the estimated value of the fee- 

 simple — the taxes amounting to nearly one-third of the estimated 

 rental. But the price of land seems to be kept down by the 

 expensive mode of farming it. Thus Mr. Hvass's estate at 

 llostemark, which consisted of 1400 tonnen of land, of which 600 

 were wood, 2G0 meadow, and 500 arable, the rest at present un- 

 profitable, Avas valued at 30,000 dollars, and he would have let 

 it for 1400 dollars, including taxes, or for 1000 dollars, the 

 tenant paying the taxes besides. The direct taxes on this pro- 

 perty were then 350 dollars, which certainly appears high, though 

 they were less in proportion to the value than on most of the neigh- 

 bouring properties, two-thirds of the arable land having been 

 brought into cultivation since the last government valuation by 

 Avhich the amount of tax was regulated. Mr. Hvass was familiar 

 with the works of Von Thaer and Sir John Sinclair, and com- 

 plained chiefl^y of want of capital to carry on his improvements 

 more extensively. 



On this farm he raised only so much oats as was sufficient for 

 his own horses, and potatoes, buckwheat, and rye for his own 

 establishment, with an excess of 300 or 400 tonnen (worth 2 

 Danish dollars a ton) of the latter for exportation. This would 

 barely pay the wages of his servants, of whom in summer, when 

 1 visited him, he had no fewer than forty-four. I'he serfs had 

 been emancipated in his father's time, and since money-wages 

 have been paid it is said that miich more work has been obtained 

 from the same number of servants. Yet comparatively little must 

 still be obtained from them, if forty-four servants, male and female, 

 be necessary to perform the work, even in summer, of an estate 

 worth no more in rent and taxes than 150/. a-vear. 



