THE MIRY INDUSTRY IN DENMARK. 



Note. — This article is republished for the purpose of rendering 

 available to Massachusetts people the history and status of Danish 

 dairying from highest authority. Italicized portions are by the 

 editor. 1 hectare (ha.) equals about 2^ acres (2.471059 acres); 

 1 kilogram (kg.) equals 2.2 pounds (2.204622 pounds); 1 krone (kr. 

 equals 100 ore) equals 26.8 cents; 1 ore equals .268 cents. — Editor. 



The dairy industry in Denmark is in reality not very 

 old. Up to about 1830-50, farmers doubted whether 

 dairying paid or not. After 1850 the dairy industry in- 

 creased more and more and the larger estates took the 

 lead and showed, by experiments and practical measures, 

 that dairying paid. There was no great export, partly 

 because the butter had not yet gained a reputation on 

 the world's market, and partly because they could not 

 make a uniform product, as the many small batches made 

 on the small farms were of a very uneven quality. 



Segelcke (1831-1902) contributed very much to the 

 rapid development of the Danish dairy industry. He put 

 in an enormous amount of work as the counselor of the 

 Royal agricultural society, in order to establish a regular 

 and systematic dairy industry. He impressed his ideas 

 everywhere by training and appointing dairy counselors, 

 and made the farmers understand that by proper and 

 intelligent work a good profit could be made by dairying. 



At the London exposition in 1879 the Danish butter 

 conquered in the international competition, and this result 

 was due chiefly to the purposeful work of Segelcke. 



After the introduction of the separator the work was 

 further systematized, and when the first co-operative 

 creameries were started the small farmer, with one or 

 only a few cows, received as much for his milk and be- 

 came of the same importance as the estate owner with 



