TRADE WITH BRITAIN 187 



in Finland, leading, at times, to an almost com- 

 plete failure of crops in the central parts of the 

 country. Consequently the supplies have fallen 

 off of late years, and in 1902 the exports of 

 butter from Finland stood at 9,670 tons — a 

 distinct decrease as compared with 1897, but a 

 business of respectable proportions, all the same, 

 for a small country, inasmuch as it represented 

 a value of £944,000. At the present time two- 

 thirds of the Finnish butter imported reaches 

 England via Hull, and one-third via Newcastle- 

 on-Tyne, nearly the whole of it being consumed 

 in the North of England or the Midlands. 



The most interesting phase of the agricultural 

 revival in Finland typified by this substantial 

 trade in dairy produce is to be found in the 

 very active development of agricultural com- 

 bination brought about during the last few 

 years in circumstances which, as mentioned 

 above, are altogether unique in their way. 



In 189.5 a course of lectures on the need of 

 co-operative effort in regard to agriculture in 

 Finland was given by Dr. Hannes Gebhard, 

 Professor of Agricultural Economics at Helsing- 

 fors University, and these lectures were attended 

 by people from all parts of the country. Sub- 

 sequently some landed proprietors made a tour 

 of investigation in different countries to ascer- 



