44 TEN YEAES IN SWEDEN. 



lessness ; for I recollect in January, 1863, a tremendous storm 

 swept over South Wermland from the west, and thousands 

 of trees were blown down in the forests just round us. Every 

 one was complaining of the damage which the forests sus- 

 tained, and this was about all that many of them did. Had 

 these trees been collected, lopped, topped, and barked 

 even if they had laid in the forests until they could have been 

 driven out, they would have been worth something, but 

 there in many forests these trees lie now just as they 

 fell, with the bark on, rotting as fast as they can, and 

 there they seem likely to lie, and there is no telling what 

 damage they may do to the growing forests by affording 

 such a convenient harbour for every insect that preys upon 

 timber. 



Another fruitful source of destruction to the forests is 

 the keeping up of fences throughout the country. There 

 are few hedges in Sweden ; in the south the fields are 

 divided by broad dykes and mud banks, and the loss of 

 land to the farmer by this plan is considerable, to say 

 nothing of the hot-beds for weeds, which these dykes afford, 

 for the farmer in the south never thinks of keeping his 

 banks and dykes clean. But in all the midland districts 

 wooden fences are used, not as in England, a strong 

 three-railed fence which will stand a man's life, and keep 

 a fat rushing bullock within bounds, but a close snake- 

 fence, formed by driving into the ground two upright 

 posts about ten or twelve feet high opposite each other 

 and at about four feet distance, and then sticking split 

 rough rails of about ten feet length in a slanting horizontal 

 position above each other closely packed together to 

 form a close fence about four feet high. Putting aside 

 the expense and trouble of keeping up such a fence, no- 

 thing can be uglier (for the upright posts stand over the 

 fence at all heights to four feet) ; in fact, they quite spoil 

 the appearance of the country, and I fancy that no fence 

 in the world could be worse adapted to this climate, for 

 being close, the snow banks up against them, and often breaks 

 them down in lengths of fifteen or twenty yards. Moreover, 



