THE CONTINENTAL FLORA OF SOUTH SWEDEN 317 



The investigations made of late xears into the history of the settlement of 

 this district have shown that, when the clay fields rose out of the sea, there 

 existed a farming and cattle-breeding population that immediately and in a fairh' 

 high degree availed itself of the new fertile areas. Hence the ground has pro- 

 bably never been to any vcr\' great extent occupied by forest. Ever since the 

 land came into existence, there have been wood-edges and unshaded hillsides 

 (cf. Hogbom 191 2; l^kholni 1915I. The case would seem to be similar in the 

 arable areas in other parts of L^ppland, on the Malar plain of Vastmanland 

 (Olsson 1917), and probably also on the lowly situated plains in north-western 

 Sodermanland. 



In other regions too a connection may be conceived to exist between the rich 

 occurrence of steppe species and the history of settlement. The fertile plains in 

 Skane and in the Silurian districts in Vastergotland and Ostergotland are very 

 old farming settlements. Falbygden was a centre of the rich farming culture of 

 the passage-grave period. It is perhaps not impossible that, ever since the Sub- 

 boreal period there have been pasture lands and cultivated fields here, surround- 

 ing the OSes and the moraine hillocks and preventing a strong shading of the 

 hillsides. 



As to Central Europe a close connection has been established between the 

 situation of older centres of settlement and the distribution of steppe-like districts 

 (especially loess districts). The first settlers are supposed to have sought out 

 these districts because there were natural pasture lands there. The settlement 

 took place during a continental period, when the vegetation in these districts 

 was steppe-like. Thanks to grazing and farming, the forest has ever since been 

 prevented from spreading (Gradmann 1900, I, 355 fif.; 1901, pp. 361 ff., and 

 435 ff., and 1906, pp. 305 ft'.; Hoops 1905, p. 90; Schalovv 1922; cf. Vidal de 

 la Blache 1903, pp. 31 ff.) A. M. Hansen (1904) has sought to show, for Norway, 

 a very interesting connection between the distribution of certain xerothermous 

 and heliophilous plant species (the :Origa)iu)n foji)iatio7f») ^nd the oldest »Indo- 

 Germanic» colonization. The first resident population, according to this writer 

 sought out the natural woodless places that contain localities suitable for the 

 recently mentioned species. 



The parts of South Sweden mentioned have great qualifications for harbouring 

 a xerophilous and heliophilous flora, thanks to the high lime-percentage of the 

 soil and the great number of suitable hillsides. It may be supposed that the 

 hillsides were occupied by a fully natural, steppe-like flora when, during the Sub- 

 boreal period, the climate was more continental than now; this flora has been 

 preserved, thanks to human interference, though the climate has become rather 

 unfavourable. 



(As has been said before (p. 298), however, steppe-species would seem to 



22 Geogra/iska AnnaUr iqj2. 



