SOME FALSTER ISLAND FARMS 151 



America and returned to Denmark because he did not 

 like that country, although he told me that his wages 

 there were higher than he could earn at home. This 

 fodder-master received 500 kroner (^27, 14s.) per 

 annum, and the three other men from 300 to 400 kroner 

 (;i6, 12s. 6d. to ^22, 3s.). In addition, all four of 

 them, unmarried men, were fed and lodged. 



If this food with lodging is worth 10s. a week, it 

 would bring up the total wages of the foreman to 

 nearly ^54 a year, and of the others on an average to 

 ^45, 10s. It is commonly said that Danish labour is 

 considerably cheaper than that in England, but this 

 instance, to say nothing of some others that I have 

 quoted, scarcely seems to bear out the statement. 

 Even if the board and lodging cost considerably less 

 than 1 os. a week, the wages would appear to be as 

 high as they are in Norfolk and many other English 

 agricultural districts. 



Mr. Rasmussen informed me that he considered 

 that the local farming was very successful on the whole, 

 and paid if the stock did well, although personally he 

 was out of pocket at the moment owing to the heavy 

 expense of his new buildings. He thought that on the 

 large farms the cultivation of sugar-beet was a great 

 help, but that the small farmers could not grow it to 

 advantage, as it was a crop which required a great deal 

 of attention, and they must devote themselves to their 

 stock. Also they needed all their land to produce corn 

 and fodder. He told me that State small-holders 

 were scarce in that neighbourhood, as the land was 

 too good and valuable to be bought by help of any 

 advance that the Government would allow. There 

 were, however, plenty of little men who owned from 

 3 to 10 tondeland. These were doing well, and 



