56 THE FOREST LANDS OF FINLAND. 



The designation Svedanje is Swedish, and may be attri- 

 butable to the Swedish domination, and the consequent 

 domination of the Swedish language. I have never heard 

 it spoken of in Finland under any other name ; but I 

 have read of its being called Roehden. This may be some 

 local designation, and probably a more ancient designation 

 brought thither by forefathers of the present inhabitants 

 on their settlement in the country. 



Dr Blomqvist, the Director of the Finnish School of 

 Forestry at Evois, informed me that Roehden is a word 

 altogether unknown in Finland, and is neither Swedish nor 

 Finnish ; that there, as in Sweden, what is called in Germany 

 Haynen, Uberlandbrennen, Roderwaldwirthschaft, Hauleng- 

 wirthschaft, &c., and in French Sartage, in the commonly 

 used Swedish language is called Svedanje. 



The root of this word is Sved, a designation applied to 

 a piece of ground so treated. The active verb is Svedja, 

 used to describe the proceeding. In the Finnish language 

 the operation is called Paloviljelys composed of palo t 

 burning, and viljelys, culture ; and there is applied to it 

 the synonymous words, Kaskenpalto, Halmeruuki, and 

 Huhtaruuki. And the piece of ground so treated is called 

 accordingly Palomaa, or Kasfy or Halme, or Huhta. 



The clearing away of the woods thus practised is to 

 prepare the ground for agriculture ; but as much or more 

 by the preparation of the soil as by the obtaining of space 

 for the agriculture contemplated; and this is the peculiarity 

 of the usage. 



A spot is selected. The trees growing upon it are 

 burned, and the seed is sown on the soil thus manured 

 witli the ashes of the trees. 



Dr Gabriel Rein, in a volume entitled Statistick Techning 

 of ""loifurstoulomet Finland, third edition, 1853, states that 

 from very ancient times the Finns had practised agricul- 

 ture, and for centuries this has been their chief means of 

 support ; and this more so as the supplies derived from 

 hunting and fishing became diminished. It is, says he, to 

 the honour of the Finnish people that by them agriculture 



