PRIMITIVE TREATMENT OF FORESTS. 57 



has been carried to the most northern boundaries of their 

 country, and has thus elevated or prepared for a higher 

 state of civilisation the inhabitants of those regions. And 

 there it may be seen practised by the most northern 

 agriculturists about Altengard in Norway, where the 

 Finns are called Quams, the designation Finn being there 

 given to Laplanders. 



But the soil of Finland, he adds, is naturally unsuitable 

 for a highly developed system of agriculture, partly in 

 consequence of the stony character of the ground, partly in 

 consequence of the poor character of that soil requiring 

 the labour of years to fit it for superior culture, and partly 

 in consequence of the sparseness of the population ; and 

 such was everywhere originally the condition of the 

 country. So far back as history reaches, the Finnish people 

 have carried out this kind of nomadic use of the soil, a 

 mode of culture which could be applied for a short time to 

 one portion of the land, and then, this being abandoned, 

 be applied to another. 



In the recent cases of this practice all the trees growing 

 on a piece of ground are cut down, are allowed to dry, 

 and are burned. The field is then ploughed, or rather 

 scratched, with a rude harrow, whereby it is loosened and 

 intermixed with the ashes. It is next sown with rye, 

 barley, or other seed.' If the earth proves somewhat 

 fertile it is sown next year with oats, and it may be 

 afterwards with buckwheat. After this last crop has been 

 reaped the ground is abandoned and left to rest till it be 

 again overgrown with trees. 



Ofttimes it is the case that through the culture and 

 removal of these crops the soil becomes exhausted, and 

 being used for pasturage, the cattle not only grazing on the 

 grass, but browsing on seedling trees as they may make 

 their appearance, the growth of these is entirely prevented. 

 The forests have thus been greatly diminished, and the 

 products of the forest being of great importance to Finland, 

 the Government has endeavoured to limit as much as 



