268 
Agriculture of Denmark. 
Nearly all the corn and fodder crops of central and northern 
Germany can be produced in this country with little or no risk ; 
the quantity of rain which falls during the year (calculated at a 
depth of 20 inches), in conjunction with a suitable degree of 
warmth, favours the growth of pasture. If more rain fell, a large 
proportion of the rich clayey-soil of the country could not be 
cultivated. The time of the principal rainfall is also advan- 
tageous ; thus, it rains least in March and April — the time for 
ploughing, harrowing, and sowing, — and most between May and 
October, when its influence on the gi-owth of corn and grass is 
most beneficial. > i 
Denmark is generally free from continuous drought or heavy 
falls of rain, nor is she much exposed to hailstorms, so destruc- 
tive in mountainous regions ; but, as the time of harvest draws 
near, heavy storms frequently damage the grain and frustrate 
the hopes of the farmer. 
Though the severity of the winter is not great, still, as a 
general rule, field-labour is suspended from the latter part of 
November until the commencement of March ; but in this 
respect there is great variety in different districts. The light 
sandy soil can be ploughed during the winter, provided it is free 
from snow or ice, and the well-drained fields may be worked a 
week later in the winter and a fortnight earlier in the spring 
than other lands. In the south of Denmark field-labour may 
generally be continued fourteen days longer than in the 
north. 
The result of this inten-uption of work is an increased activity 
in ploughing during the autumn, and still more in spring, so 
much so that these periods are frequently ljusier than even the 
time of harvest ; but, for the same reason, more time and atten- 
tion can be given to the thrashing and winnowing of corn, and 
similar work, during the winter months. 
The Danish farmer is obliged to lay in a larger stock of 
winter fodder than is necessary in most other countries ; as a 
general rule, all cattle are stabled in the middle of October, and 
the grazing can scarcely be said to commence until the latter 
pai't of May ; sheep are generally stall-fed from the latter part 
of November to the close of April. 
The geological condition of Denmark offers few impediments 
to agriculture. Rocks do not interfere with tillage, except on some 
parts of the island of Bornholm. Cultivation is not checked by 
great elevations, except on the " Himmelberg " in Jutland, which 
has an altitude of 550 feet ; but in other respects the surface of 
Denmark offers so much variety in soil that the mode of culture 
in one district entirely differs from that of another. Along the 
