Agriculture of Denmark. 
309 
mainly concentrated. Rising civilization, increased value of 
land, and, above all, the demand from consumers abroad, espe- 
cially in England, for corn of the finer sort, now oblige farmers 
to bestow great attention and care on the quality of tlieir grain. 
Earlier this was not the case, and at the close of the eighteenth 
century the Danish corn stood lowest on the list in English 
grain-markets. This bad corn, nevertheless, found a profitable 
market in Norway, when Christian VI. in 1735 had forbidden 
the import of foreign corn into Denmark, and forced Norway to 
take its corn from thence. Writers on agriculture show that at 
that period corn was sold consisting of 32 per cent, rye, 38 
per cent, weeds, 17 J per cent, chaff, dirt, 6:c., 4 per cent, corn- 
cockle, 2J per cent, peas, 2 per cent, oats, 2 per cent, wheat, 
1 per cent, barley, and 1 per cent, tares. 
After the repeal of the law referred to in 1788, and more espe- 
cially after the separation of Norway from Denmark in 1814, mer- 
chants were compelled, in their own interest, to take the quality of 
the grain more into consideration, and at present it is the exception 
when even the yeomen farmers deliver " dirty corn ;" and evidence 
is everywhere found of a strong desire to supply this article in 
superior quality ; and consequently great attention is paid to the 
selection of seed-corn and the preparation of grain for sale. Good 
seed is obtained by the use of larger and better winnowing-ma- 
chines, by frequent purchase of clean and heavy seed from abroad, 
or from the better districts of this country (for instance, from the 
north-east part of Holstein), by the introduction of different kinds 
of wheat from England and Scotland, and by interchange of seed 
among the farmers of the country, especially of those kinds 
which most readily degenerate, &c. Improvements in these 
respects have, as is usually the case, been commenced by pro- 
prietors of large estates, and in the districts where these are 
numerous, the soil rich, and shipping ports are at hand, the 
benefit has been most marked. And this example has been 
followed by the yeoman farmer. Where the advantages have 
not been so apparent, reforms have been made ^ore slowly. 
Progress in this respect is most noticeable on the islands, and in 
the fertile districts of the peninsula. 
A strong motive for additional care and attention arises from 
the fact that it is becoming more and more the usage with the 
dealer to buy his corn by weight and measure. Formerly all 
grain was bought by measure alone, and the merchant, for fear of 
oflfending the vendors, did not dare to pay different prices, though 
the qualities varied considerably. The old practice is doubtless 
still common in many parts of the country, but where the larger 
estates are situated, grain is sold according to weight and mea- 
sure, and it is believed that this practice will soon become 
