Agriculture of Denmark. 
315 
personal requirements of the producer, and is far from sufficient 
for those of the whole country. The superior and cheaper yarn 
brought from England and Germany, together with the increased 
demand for finer linens, cause the farmers to hesitate before they 
grow a plant which is even more exhausting to the soil than rape, 
and demands an expensive and laborious treatment. Another 
reason why less attention is paid to the production of flax may 
be found in the fact that, with one exception (at Frederiksborg), 
no flax-spinncry of any importance exists in the country. In the 
north of Funen, where the Government established one in 1793, 
the largest crop of flax was then raised, but since this s])iniiery 
has been discontinued it has decreased also there. 
Between 1,000,000 and 2,000,000 lbs. of flax are annually 
imported, principally from Russia, independent of from 2J to 3^ 
million lbs. of linen and yarn, obtained from England, Belgium, 
and Prussia. Of flax-seed, the import exceeds the export by 
11,000 to 14,000 quarters annually. 
Hemp. — The same may be said of this plant as of flax ; its 
cultivation decreases annually, and it is only raised on a limited 
scale in particular districts ; for instance, on the island of Samso 
and in the neighbourhood of Rendsburg. The import of hemp 
therefore averages from 3^ to 5J million pounds annually, and 
takes place principally from Russia. 
Hops. — This plant is principally cultivated in gardens, and 
only to a small extent. Angeln, in Sleswig, and the north-west 
of Funen make exceptions in this respect, but the hops raised in 
Funen are not considered good, and are chiefly sold to the 
yeomen farmers for domestic use. Close upon 1,000,000 lbs. 
of hops are annually imported into Denmark, principally from 
Germany. 
The cultivation of other plants, such as tobacco, carraway, 
mustard, &c., is so extremely small in Denmark as scarcely to 
deserve attention. 
The influence of the British corn-law of 1845 on the grain- 
trade and husbandry in general of a country like Denmark must 
of course have been most favourable. Formerly, the corn of 
Denmark was largely exported to Norway, but the trade created 
by this law was soon turned to some, though not the best, 
account, because the grain of the country was then not suffi- 
ciently good to suit the English market, and consequently, while 
the exports in the early years after 1845 increased largely, they 
decreased for a time afterwards. But, by improved agriculture, 
better corn has been raised, more attention has been paid to 
winnowing and sorting it, &c., and the result has been a 
considerable increase of trade with Great Britain. The accom- 
panying table (marked E) first shows the general export of the 
VOL. XXI. z 
