54 PLANT-BREEDING 



methods of improvements to the special needs of Swedish 

 agriculture. 



From these statements it may easily be gathered that the 

 importation of new and valuable kinds from neighboring 

 countries was, at first, one of the chief occupations of the 

 station. The most prominent and most renowned varieties 

 of the cereals of Europe were purchased and tested, the old 

 and common sorts as well as the newly introduced and ameli- 

 orated kinds. After finding them adequate to the local cir- 

 cumstances, they were multiplied, exhibited and recommen- 

 ded and finally given to the trade. In this way, Probsteier 

 oats, Ligowo oats, Squarehead wheat, Victoria peas and 

 different kinds of barley have been distributed. By their 

 culture, the agriculture of the southern parts of Sweden was 

 noticeably improved, and even the export of grains to Bel- 

 gium and other European countries, which previously had 

 suffered much from the deterioration of the races, could be 

 restored to its former degree of importance. 



The influence of these new methods may best be judged 

 by the rapid growth of the company. Already in the second 

 year, it could extend its interests, which were primarily in- 

 tended for the southern part of Sweden only, to the whole 

 country. Soon afterwards, another company was organ- 

 ized on the same principles and with the same aims. It had 

 its seat at Orebro and was destined to work for the middle 

 part of Sweden. But after an existence of only four years, 

 it was combined with the Svalof company, which then (1894) 

 took its present name of Sveriges Utsadesforening, or Seed- 

 grain Society for Sweden. It entered into relationship with 

 the greater number of local agricultural companies and was 

 financially aided by them as well as by the Swedish govern- 

 ment, so as to be enabled to work on a largely increased scale. 



Gradually the_ combination of the experimental and the 

 commercial sides of the work became too cumbersome, and 



