646 



DENMARK. 



Sfitistics. 



Soil. 



Whirl 

 winds 

 *aad. 



of 



F.rn'oank- 

 ■lents. 



of this province a luxuriance of vegetation, which re- 

 minds us of the fertile countries in the south of Germa- 

 ny ; and sometimes the banks of the Elbe and the Trave 

 exhibit the appearance of those of the Rhine, the Maine, 

 and the Neckar. 



The soil of Denmark is no doubt diversified, but its 

 prevailing character is the sandy, with a greater or 

 smaller mixture of the others ; a kind of soil which 

 seems well suited to the humidity of the climate. It 

 is by no means deficient in fertility, and well adapted 

 both for corn and pasture. The soil of Zealand and 

 Laaland is considered the strongest. It is more mixed, 

 <md admits of a more varied cultivation in Funen, 

 Langland, and Falster. The soil on the eastern coast 

 of Jutland is rich, and favourable to vegetation ; and 

 on the western coast there are extensive alluvions, 

 which might be turned to advantage. Between the 

 two coasts, a sandy ridge extends through the middle 

 of the country, repugnant to cultivation, and produ- 

 cing only heath and some useless plants. At the 

 northern extremity of this province, the coast is cover- 

 ed with a deep stratum of dry sand. It prevails parti- 

 cularly in the environs of the city of Skage, where a 

 great extent of surface presents only the image of ste- 

 rility. Similar collections of sand are to be met with, 

 after turning the northern point of Jutland towards the 

 west, and also on some parts of the coast of Zealand. 

 These sands being raised in douds by the wind, deso- 

 late the surrounding country, and overspread the cul- 

 tivated fields. For the purpose of consolidating these 

 sands, various kinds of trees and shrubs are planted, 

 to destroy which is prohibited, under a severe penalty. 

 They sow also in these places a plant called by botan- 

 ists elymus arenaria, whose spreading roots bind the 

 sand, while its large leaves break the force of the wind. 

 There was published, some years ago, a rescript of the 

 king, for the purpose of directing the public attention 

 to the most likely means of preventing the ravages of 

 the whirlwind in the districts exposed to their scourge. 

 Government, at the same time, circulated a memoir of 

 Professor Wiborg, concerning the plants which grow 

 in sand. In all the higher parts of Sleswick and Hol- 

 stein, the soil is the same as in the other provinces of 

 Denmark. But on the western coast, from the mouth 

 of the Elbe nearly as far as the frontiers of Jutland, 

 is a soil of a peculiar kind. That district, like a great 

 part of Holland, owes its existence to the agency of 

 the waters, and consists of alluvions, which, for ages, 

 have been insensibly collecting. These depositions of 

 the sea or of the rivers, which are extremely fertile, 

 the industry of man has seized and converted into cul- 

 tivated fields, a conquest without wars or treaties: 

 But the preservation of this conquest requires the most 

 active and persevering vigilance. The waters often 

 attempt to recover their ancient dominion; and if 

 they meet not with barriers capable of restraining 

 them, they resume their rights, inundate the cultiva- 

 ted grounds, and in a few hours destroy the labours of 

 r.sany years. The most dreadful of these devastations 

 happened in the year 1634. From the mouth of the 

 Elbe to the town of Reben in Jutland, the relentless 

 element carried every where destruction. Besides 

 thousands of cattle and sheep which disappeared in 

 this inundation, there perished above 1500 persons; 

 and houses, mills, and whole villages were swallowed 

 up. The art of constructing banks has been brought 

 to greater perfection since that disastrous period. They 

 are formed of tough clay, about 19 feet high, and so 

 broad tlut a carriage can easily pass along them. They 



are also provided with ditchas, canals, and sluices, for Statistic* 

 containing the water necessary for the irrigation of the '—• •—/"—■- 

 soil, and for carrying off what is superfluous. In Wil- 

 lersmarch they use windmills for drawing the water 

 into the canals. Often thirty or forty of these mills 

 are to be seen in motion at the same time. Men of 

 skill and experience in the construction of such works, 

 who have lately examined the dikes, say, that notwith- 

 standing the improvements that have been made, they 

 are not yet sufficiently secure ; and, indeed, it is not 

 long since several districts have suffered by inunda- 

 tions. These works are the object of a special police, 

 and overseers are appointed to see that they are kept 

 in sufficient repair. The governors of the province, 

 accompanied by skilful juries, visit them in 'spring and 

 autumn. They impose fines on those proprietors who 

 have been guilty of negligence ; and such works as are 

 improperly executed are begun anew, under the direc- 

 tion of experienced persons. An ordinance, published 

 in 1800, prescribes an uniform mode of construction, 

 and requires, that all plans of repair shall be submitted 

 to the inspection of persons named by government 

 for this purpose. In 1794. and 1795, the bank of 

 Copenhagen advanced neai"ly a million of rix-dollars to 

 different companies for the construction and improve- 

 ment of these dikes. 



New alluvions are continually forming on this coast, Alluvion?. 

 which, when they have attained the requisite maturity, 

 are inclosed by new dikes. Such a piece of ground is 

 called Kog. As very considerable outlay is required 

 for such undertakings, government grants a complete 

 franchise to those who accomplish them. The remains 

 of ancient embankments, frequently met with in the in- 

 terior of the country, indicate these successive exten- 

 sions of the land. Holstein and Sleswick are thus na- 

 turally divided into two different regions : the one con- 

 sisting of those districts which have thus been reclaim- 

 ed from the sea, and which occupy the western side of 

 the peninsula ; and the other comprehending the high- 

 er grounds on the eastern side. The former of these 

 divisions is called Marschland, or the Marsches, and 

 the latter Geestland. The superior stratum or soil of 

 Marschland is composed of a rich fat earth, more or 

 less mixed with sand : the second stratum is pure sand, 

 sometimes mixed with gravel ; and the last consists of 

 a bluish coloured clay, which, being spread upon the 

 surface, makes excellent manure. The whole of this 

 part of the peninsula is one unifonn plain, without any 

 other elevations than the dikes. The sameness of the 

 scene, however, disappears amidst the pleasure which 

 the beholder derives from the general appearance of 

 prosperity, the richness of the cultivation, and the 

 triumph of man over an element the most formidable. 



As might be expected from the humid climate of Diseases 

 Denmark, and its low situation, surrounded on all 

 sides by seas, and the frequent and sudden changes in 

 the temperature of the atmosphere, those diseases winch 

 arise from obstructed perspiration, such as rheumatism, 

 catarrh, &c. are prevalent. Cutaneous diseases were 

 formerly very general, but they have now greatly de- 

 creased. In the lower districts of Sleswick and Hol- 

 stein there often prevails a very obstinate disease, known 

 by the name of the Fever of the Marsches. Upon the 

 whole, the climate of Denmark is by no means unheal- 

 thy, and the inhabitants often live to a very advanced 

 age. 



The agriculture of Denmark may be compared with 

 that of Great Britain, which it very much resembles, 

 and supplies the inhabitants with all the necessaries a»d 



Agricul- 

 ture. 



