SHEEP HOESES. 161 



The sheep have, however, been much improved by crosses 

 with Cheviots and Leicesters, and considering the price of 

 wool, the immense quantity that is annually required here 

 for warm winter clothing, to say nothing of the vast supe- 

 riority of a good juicy bit of mutton, over a tough old cow, 

 or a two days' old calf, I much wonder that sheep farming 

 is not more generally attended to. It is true, that in 

 the middle of the country, they must be under shelter for at 

 least six months out of the twelve, and although, of course, 

 at this time they should be well fed, during all the rest of 

 the year, they can always get a good picking in the woods 

 and plantations, round about the home farm. But as agricul- 

 ture improves, doubtless this source of profit to the farmer will 

 not be neglected. You rarely see a goat further south than 

 North Wermland, and I wondered I saw none in Lapland. 



The Swedish horses are compact, docile, hardy little 

 fellows, showing no great breeding, but well adapted for the 

 climate and roads, and like the cows, they can rough it upon 

 any fare, and in any quarters. They average from four- 

 teen to fifteen hands, and though you often see larger, 

 I like the small breed best. The carts they draw are small, 

 and well suited to the roads and country. Doubtless if our 

 large English carts and horses could be introduced into the 

 country, the farmers would get through their work quicker 

 and better ; but I do not believe our large horses would 

 stand either the climate or the roads, except, perhaps, just 

 in the very south, certainly not with the keep and atten- 

 tion the little Swedish horse gets ; and instead of trusting 

 too much to foreign aid to improve their breed of cattle, 

 I should recommend the Swedish farmer to do more justice 

 to his own breed, which must be better adapted to his 

 country. Not that I wish, for a moment, to check enterprise 

 and improvement, but in farming an ounce of practice is, 

 above all things, worth a pound of theory, and we must 

 bear in mind that what will suit one country, will not suit 

 another, and an injudicious introduction of foreign customs 

 and cattle, instead of tending to improve the native system, 

 may have quite a contrary effect. 



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