68 REPORT OF THE SCOTTISH COMMISSION 



boar, and the old native Danish bred sow. It is now thought that 

 an even better cross will be obtained from boars bred in Denmark 

 from imported parents. This cross seems to work well, giving a 

 good mixture of fat and lean meat. The pig produced is very like 

 the ordinary Yorkshire white. Under Government supervision 

 fresh blood is occasionally introduced from England. In 1903 

 seventy-three pigs were imported for breeding purposes. They are 

 chiefly fattened by the farmers themselves, and not at the creameries 

 as in some countries. The separated milk is pasteurised and resold 

 at Id. per gallon to the farmer for feeding purposes. Where cheese 

 is made, whey is also used for feeding. The Commission saw 

 several large well-appointed piggeries, but were equally impressed 

 by the excellent pig accommodation provided by the small holder. 

 The pigs were mostly kept inside. 



Cultivation of the Land 



Much of the land in Denmark is, as we have said, poor ; and, 

 although the Danes bestow a considerable amount of care on its 

 cultivation, the Scottish party were not impressed with the idea 

 that much was to be learned from them in this department. At 

 one time Denmark was regarded as one of the chief grain-growing 

 countries in Europe. At that time the fundamental principle of 

 the farm practice was bare fallow as a preparation for autumn 

 sown cereals, with the result, there is much reason to believe, that 

 the land some forty years ago was left in a somewhat exhausted 

 state, and in this way contributed to the crisis in the history of 

 Denmark, which marks the great turning-point in the fortunes of 

 the agricultural community and the foundation of the general 

 prosperity of the country. It is not necessary here to eiuunerate 

 the patriotic and able men like Professor Segelcke, who laboured 

 till they were almost wearied in guiding their countrymen through 

 this trying time. They ultimately succeeded in inducing the 

 farmers to give up grain-growing, which had reduced both them 

 and their land to a state of poverty, and not only to adopt dairying 

 but to organise and conduct it with such systematic precision 

 and success as to make their practice the admiration of all who 

 have seen it. 



Change of Practice 



With the adoption of dairying the whole practice of farming 

 has become modified for this purpose. Green crops have to a 

 large extent taken the place of the bare fallow, for which the light 

 land of Denmark is ill suited. Now a great variety of root crops 

 are successfully cultivated, such as sugar-beet, turnips, swedes, 

 mangolds, kohl rabi, to provide winter keep for cows ; the farmers 

 fully recognising that a supply of milk all the year round is 

 more profitable than having abundance during summer. Indeed, 

 the aim is to have a larger supply in winter than during the 

 sununcr months, and the crops are arranged with this object. The 



