7 RURAL DENMARK 



holder, he replied he had not noticed that the water 

 made the pigs ill ! 



My general impression was that these people were 

 not quite so flourishing as the Larsens. It appeared, 

 however, that they took over their land in very bad 

 order. Also Mrs. Andersen was evidently much 

 depressed by the sickness amongst her pigs. Still 

 Mr. Mortensen thought that they would get on well, 

 as the man was steady and reliable. 



Our next visit was to Mr. H. P. Nielsen of 

 Tjaereby, a middle-aged and capable man with a lame 

 foot, who owns five tondeland, which he bought with 

 the aid of a State loan of 5000 kroner (^277), at a 

 cost of 600 kroner (33, 5s.) per tondeland, inclusive 

 of the standing crops. He began with a private 

 capital of about 1000 kroner (^55, 8s. 4d.), which 

 he had saved as a labourer and shoemaker, for he 

 combined both callings. The house, a good one, 

 and buildings he erected at a cost of 3500 kroner 

 (about ^194). Mr. Nielsen, who is a member of 

 the Parish and other local Councils, informed me 

 that he was quite satisfied with his position, was 

 getting on well, and after three years' experience 

 of his holding looked forward with confidence to 

 the future. His stock consisted of three cows, a calf, 

 a horse, four pigs, two sows, and thirty fowls. All 

 his milk and other produce were sold through co- 

 operative societies. 



The buildings on this place are excellent of their 

 sort and very clean, the liquid-manure tank being 

 so arranged as to form a base for the straw stacks. 

 The land, a medium loam, was clean and well culti- 

 vated ; it bore good crops of roots, including carrots. 

 Also there was a nice garden, and in it were three 



