484 READINGS IN RURAL ECONOMICS 



position, was getting on well, and after three years' experience of 

 his holding looked forward with confidence to the future. His stock 

 consisted of three cows, a calf, a horse, four pigs, two sows, and 

 thirty fowls. All his milk and other produce were sold through 

 co-operative societies. 



The buildings on this place are excellent of their sort and very 

 clean, the liquid-manure tank being so arranged as to form a 

 base for the straw stacks. The land, a medium loam, was clean 

 and well cultivated ; it bore good crops of roots, including carrots. 

 Also there was a nice garden, and in it were three large hives 

 of bees. Mr. Nielsen had four children, but these were grown 

 up and away. I gathered that he and his wife did all the work 

 of the place, with the result that he now has little time to earn 

 extra money by shoemaking. That on the whole he had no cause 

 to complain was shown by the fact that he has been able to live 

 out of his holding, and in addition to repay debt to the amount 

 of about 300 kroner (16 12 s. 6d.) a year. 



Another State small-holder whom I saw was named Anders 

 Frandsen, who lived at a place called Svogerslev Mark. He and 

 his wife were elderly people, and with them resided his mother, 

 an old lady of eighty-five, and a young son, who was sick in bed. 

 By the way, all the family, including the old mother and the boy, 

 slept together in one not very large room ! Why they did this I 

 do not know, as the house is the best of those that I visited on 

 this journey, and has very good outbuildings. 



Mr. Frandsen borrowed 4300 kroner {^2^8 5 s.) when he 

 bought his property of six tondeland five years previously, but 

 was applying for an additional State loan. He began with three 

 cows, but at the time of my visit had seven cattle, also a sow, 

 four pigs, and two good horses. Originally he was a butcher and 

 stockbreeder, but possessed only a little capital when he entered 

 on his small-holding. 



He told me that he was well satisfied, and could earn a living 

 and pay his way, although whatever more he could make went 

 to buy stock and refund debt. He bought and sold everything 

 through co-operative societies, and expressed the opinion, which 

 Mr. Mortensen endorsed, that the small-holding movement in 



