152 RURAL DENMARK 



if they were skilled and steady and had helpful wives, 

 could live out of their holdings without working for 

 others. 



Mr. Rasmussen struck me as a most capable, 

 sterling man, just what a small farmer should be. 

 Also he was what is called " up-to-date," for while we 

 were talking suddenly he sprang to a window, and 

 grasping the transmitter of a telephone that was hung 

 inside, did some piece of business through it. It is 

 difficult to imagine a ioo-acre farmer in England avail- 

 ing himself of the telephone in this fashion. But 

 then that instrument is almost universal in Denmark, 

 and, being as perfect as possible, saves most people 

 one or two hours of time in every day. I have no 

 doubt that it is most useful to the agriculturists of that 

 country, and may be reckoned as one of the factors of 

 their apparent success. 



Conducted by Mr. Rasmussen, I visited the pump- 

 ing-station of Boto Nors, where lies the reclaimed land 

 of which I have spoken. This reclamation, said to be 

 one of the most successful in Denmark, was begun in 

 1870. Since that date 4000 tondeland have been 

 won, leaving 5000 tondeland, which lie 5 feet below 

 sea-level, still to be reclaimed. 



This 12,000-acre swamp belonged to the State, 

 which granted it, subject, as I gathered, to a nominal 

 rent of 200 kroner {1 1) per annum, to a co-operative 

 company of " adventurers," whose property the re- 

 claimed land remains in proportion to their shares. 

 The company obtained a first loan of 60,000 kroner 

 (^3325), and subsequently another loan of 22,000 

 kroner (^1 133, 10s.), with which to provide wind 

 motors to keep the reclaimed land adequately drained. 

 I could not discover that any other moneys had been 



