32 RURAL DENMARK 



intervals, which grow rarer until they are sufficiently- 

 hardened to be moved upstairs. 



Three men two young fellows and a feeding 

 master, as I was informed feed all this multitude 

 of swine, though how they manage to accomplish 

 the task I am sure I do not know. I may add 

 that the flies were as troublesome here as in every 

 other piggery I visited in Denmark. Indeed Mrs. 

 Pontoppidan told me that during certain seasons of 

 the year, although the house stands at some distance, 

 she is obliged to keep the windows closed in order to 

 shut out these pests, which in warm weather rr^st be 

 very trying. 



When we had finished with the pigs, I visits oi^ 

 of the byres containing rather over a hundred cows 

 Danish black-and-white crossed with Friesland to the 

 left, and red Fyens to the right. This byre is an 

 extremely well-arranged building. Thus fresh water 

 flows in runnels in front of the cows, and carts laden 

 with turnips come down the gangway, travelling on 

 raised tram-lines by means of trolley-wheels, while the 

 hay is stored in a great loft overhead. As feeding 

 was in progress, the scene here was very busy, and I 

 noted particularly a little girl running from trough 

 to trough, which it was her business to brush out. 

 Fourteen hands, nine men and five women, milk and 

 tend all these cows and the six bulls, or so I was in- 

 formed. The liquid manure from this great herd 

 and the pigs is stored in a tank with a capacity of 

 4,000,000 lbs. Danish, so contrived that the stuff can 

 be drawn off into the manure carts for distribution on 

 the land. 



In Denmark this valuable fertilising agent is not 

 allowed to run into the nearest ditch or pond ; in fact 



