DENMARK. 



/ 



Denmark affords an interesting field of study for any class or body who may 

 undertake to investigate any of the several branches of agriculture followed by her 

 people. To properly understand swine husbandry, as carried on by the Danish farmer, 

 it is necessary to know something of the condition of the country, its rural population, 

 and the general system of agriculture followed. 



A glance at the map of Europe wall show that Denmark is a comparatively small 

 country, occupying a rather exposed position, surrounded almost entirely by the cold 

 and stormy waters of the north and Baltic seas. The kingdom, consisting of the 

 peninsula of Jutland and the Islands of Fyen, Zealand, Laaland, and a number of 

 smaller ones, occupies an area of about 15,000 square miles, equal to about two-thirds 

 of Nova Scotia, one-half of New Brunswick, or one-fifth of Manitoba. The profile 

 of the country often reminded the members of the Commission of parts of Ontario. 

 The surface is either rather flat or gently undulating, the highest point being only 

 550 feet above sea level. On this account it is exposed during a long winter season to 

 harsh, sweeping winds. The summer season, always short, is frequently cool. During 

 July the Commissioners found light overcoats necessary when driving about the 

 country. The summer of 1909 was, however, claimed to be unusually cool. 



The soil is anything but rich, in fact the country possesses more poor thnn good 

 land, much of it being thin and gravelly. Of the total area, eighty per cent is pro- 

 ductive, and of this, one-sixth is forest. Of the remainder, less than half is arable, 

 what remains being chiefly grass land. The coolness and shortness of the growing 

 season brings problems to the husbandman. In average seasons only the early variety 

 of oats ripen properly and this naturally, limits the field of agriculture. The experi- 

 ment stations have been trying to develop a fall oat and to some extent, have succeeded, 

 but the general farmer must still depend upon the early sorts of the spring sown kinds. 

 Fall rye, fall wheat and barley do well, and v,-hen to these are added oats, hay crops 

 and roots, the round of crops which the Dane at home can grow with advantage is 

 about complete. Denmark is therefore not a grain exporting country. Her conditions 

 have proved more favourable for that higher sphere of agriculture, the production of 

 live stock, for which large quantities of food stuffs are annually imported. 



Denmark has a population of practically 2.500,000, nearly one-fifth of which is 

 absorbed by Copenhagen and its suburbs. Dividing the remainder of the subjects of 

 King Frederick into urban and rural dwellers we have about 1,500,000 on the land. 

 Denmark having no mineral or timber wealth depends for its prosperity upon agricul- 

 ture. The industry of Denmark is and has in the past been that of farming, and since 

 95 per cent of the population is native born it naturally follows that the system of 

 agriculture is not only highly developed but fairly uniform over the country. It is 

 the one business of a serious, industrious, and educated people, and has lessons for 

 perhaps every other agricultural country of the globe. 



Up to well past the middle of the last century Denmark reached a state of com- 

 parative stagnation with the effect of starting from the country a fairly strong exodus 

 to the towns and to foreign lands. Aroused by the apparent danger of national decline 

 a strong movement looking to the improvement of agricultural conditions was in- 

 augurated. At that time the exports were comparatively little. The expansion of the 

 export trade in the leading products to Great Britain alone during the past few years 

 demonstrates the progress that has been effected in the general agriculture of the 

 country. The following table shows in dollars the value of the respective products 

 named exported by Denmark to Great Britain during the years indicated :— 



