320 
Agriculture of Denmark. 
food, was soon reduced in numljer, as well as tlie birds or 
animals that destroy insects, vermin, &c. 
There are many intelligent farmers who, without wishing to 
see the present game-law repealed, desire to have some clause 
added by which protection should be afforded to such birds and. 
animals as seem by nature destined for the destruction of vermin, 
&c., which of late ye.ars have increased enormously, causing 
greater damage to the farmer than any he suffered from the 
depredations of wild birds and beasts. 
Fisheries. — In olden times the number of fish in the Danish 
waters was very large. Saxo Gramaticus (the chronicler of the 
twelfth century) says of the Oresund, " that it was so full of fish 
that ships could scarcely get through, and that fishing-apparatus 
was not required, as the fish could be caught by hand." This 
statement is of course exaggerated ; yet it indicates that there 
must have been great abundance of fish, which is further attested 
by the existence in earlier times of many fishing villages on the 
borders of the Sound, which disappeared as the number of fish 
decreased. The same historian says of the Liim fjord, " that 
fishing appeared to afford as much revenue to the inhabitants as 
agriculture." 
It is not easy to ascertain the cause of the great decrease which 
has taken place in the supply of fish on the Danish coast, except 
in the Liimfjord, where it is supposed to be due to the irrup- 
tion of the North Sea, whereby the water became Salter and the 
current stronger. The last time that the fisheries in the Liim- 
fjord gave large profits was in 1828 : so many herrings were then 
caught that 100,000 barrels were exported ; since then the returns 
have been very small. 
Though the supply of fish has decreased, there can be no 
doubt that fishing might be made remunerative, but this does 
not at present appear to be the case, as only about 2J per cent, 
of the population are occupied in that way, while agriculture, as 
earlier stated, gives employment to more than 60 per cent, of it. 
The only reason that can be assigned for this is, that the in- 
habitants find employment in the fields as profitable, more easy, 
and less hazardous than the life of fishermen ; but it might be 
otherwise if these were supplied with better tackle, and taught 
the best and most economical way of curing and salting fish. 
They are so ill provided at present that frequently, when a large 
and unexpected number of fish is caught, they are obliged to 
throw many into the sea again, or use them as food for pigs, &c. 
On the fertile coasts of Sleswig and Holstein scarcely any 
natives are employed in fishing, but small smacks come from 
Blardvcnese (in the Elbe), and take all they catch to Hamburg. 
On the west coast of Jutland, from the barren nature of the 
