1920. J 



Land Settlement in Denmark. 



1075 



for the future. They are content to live soberly and thriftily, 

 they do not have to work hard, and they are content if there 

 is a small balance left over after paying interest and household 

 expenses. This balance naturally varies : from £28 to £56 on 

 a holding of 13 acres is considered reasonable. 



The worst conducted holding of those inspected was one of 

 about 5 J acres, and in this case the small holder earned part of 

 his living by working for other people (carting, etc.). In the 

 case of another holding of the same size the small holder kept 

 3 cows, I horse, i pig and i calf (12 weeks old, just sold for 

 220 kroner (/12 ys. 6d.). Two of the cows were at grass on 

 another holding ; the small holder earned 800 kroner (/45) 

 independently of his holding. The crops in this case were 

 good. We had no further opportunities of inspecting the 

 smallest type of holding ; there appears, however, to be a 

 general consensus of opinion that the minimum size should be 

 big enough to provide a living in itself. 



7. Farming In Jutland, — A visit was paid to Herning, the 

 ^' Capital of the Jutland Heath," and some time was spent in 

 exploring the country around that centre. x\pproaching 

 Herning from the south one passes through an extremely poor, 

 sandy country closely resembling our Bagshot Heaths, with 

 this difference, that the Jutland Heath is closely settled and 

 mostly cultivated. As seen from the central Jutland railway 

 the land is much poorer than in the islands, the holdings are 

 bigger and more scattered, and the cattle are not tethered to 

 the same extent. Very little rain had fallen during the previous 

 two months and the country as a whole was obviously suffering 

 severely from drought. In this connection it was noticeable 

 that where tethering was practised the grass was green and 

 vigorous, whereas in the fenced fields where the cattle grazed 

 at liberty the herbage was short, poor and " burned." 



One was struck with the newness of the small towns or 

 villages through which the railway passes, and the large 

 numbers of new farmsteads along the Hne side. It would 

 appear that the railw^ay was laid through a barren heath and 

 that gradually the stations and approaches to the railway 

 became centres of human habitation and industr^^ Herning, 

 a flourishing looking town of 7,000 inhabitants, has grown up 

 within the last 30 years. It contains a bacon factor}^ two 

 dairies, and excellent elementary, middle, high and technical 

 schools. There are two brick factories and several large peat 

 " banks " on the outskirts. During the \A ar the cutting of 



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