200 Report on the Agriculture of Sweden and Norway. 
master, who takes the responsibility off the farmers by con- 
tracting to supply travellers, at the Government tariff, either 
with his own horses or with those which he may hire by . 
private contract, in case of need, from such farmers or other 
persons as may be willing to let. 
When driving in Dalecarlia (Dalarne) from Falun, I was unable 
to send my forbud papers, and I was therefore obliged to take my 
chance all along the route. At the first station, about 10 miles 
from Falun, there were two travellers before me, each of whom 
wanted one horse, therefore I was compelled to wait three hours 
before I could proceed another 12 miles on the road. By the 
time the second station was reached it had become too dark to 
proceed farther that night, so I had to resign myself to sleeping 
at this posthouse, which was fortunately much better appointed 
than the previous one. 
French and German having proved of no avail, I was alike 
startled and relieved at hearing the postmaster's wife answer my 
forlorn-hope question, " Do you speak English ? " with, " Waal, 
I guess I dew some," given with a pronounced Yankee drawi, 
flavoured with a Swedish accent. I secured her services as an 
interpreter in obtaining information as to the management of 
the station. Her husband receives a subvention of about lOOZ. 
per annum from the district, the contract being made for a 
period of five years. In return for this sum he is obliged to 
keep horses for travellers, and let them at the Government 
tariff, as follows : — 
January 2 horses. 
February ,. .. 2 „ 
March 2 „ 
April 3 „ 
May 5 „ 
June 5 
July 5 horses. 
August 5 „ 
September .. .. 4 „ 
October 4 „ 
November .. ,. 3 „ 
December .. .. 3 ,, 
If additional horses are required at any time he is bound to 
get them at any cost within the stipulated time, and charge 
only the proper tariff to the traveller ; therefore he actually 
keeps 12 horses all the year round, and is thus, ^generally 
speaking, independent of external aid. 
That this contract is not unprofitable may be inferred from 
the fact that the postmaster is in his second term of five years, 
for which he has accepted a somewhat smaller subvention than 
he received during his first term. 
I should add that this postmaster owns about 15 acres of 
land, which he cultivates in the usual manner, namely, fallow, 
followed by rye sown out with seeds, which remain 3, 4, or 
5 years, and are succeeded by oats for 2 or 3 years. Sometimes 
six-row barley is taken instead of one of the crops of oats. Five 
