10 PEOGEESS IN OTHEE COUNTEIES 



was abandoned. During the nineteenth century the 

 lesson of the necessity for creating and maintaining 

 holdings of a suitable size was learnt. Under the 

 ordinary Danish law of succession each child gets a 

 share in the family property ; but by a law of 1837 

 an exception was made in the case of peasant farms, 

 and the proprietor is allowed to leave the farm in- 

 tact to any one of his children, subject to a moderate 

 consideration being given to the others, the extent 

 of which is left entirely to the testator. Towards 

 the end of the nineteenth century the tide of public 

 opinion set steadily in favour of small peasant farms 

 as a valuable agency for increasing production and 

 general well-being, and a law was passed to bring 

 into existence a larger number of such farms. 

 Under this law a candidate for a small farm has to 

 satisfy the local Commission that he is sober and 

 industrious, and has a sufficient knowledge of farming, 

 and he has to produce one-tenth of the purchase 

 money. The Commission then finds him a farm of 

 from 3 to 16 acres, advancing nine-tenths of the 

 purchase money for the land and stock. No re- 

 payments need be made for the first five years, but 

 after that the holder pays 3 per cent, interest on 

 the money advanced, and 1 per cent, sinking fund 

 for the repayment of the loan. Since 1899 the 

 State has provided £110,000 to £160,000 a year 

 to finance such loans. The peasant farms so 

 formed may not be subdivided or mortgaged until 

 the government loan is paid off, nor can distraint 



