Report on the Agriculture of Sweden and Norway. 20^ 
Swedish Country Br eed. — According to popular tradition, this 
breed, now very variable in its characters, was introduced from 
Holland about 150 or 200 years ago. Mr. Dannfelt, however, 
assured me that they are a cross between the polled white race 
of the north of Sweden and some red cattle from Eckenforde, 
in Holstein, which were brought into Sweden by Swedish 
timber-merchants during the reign of Charles XI., circa 1G80, 
and placed on the Royal estate of Stromsholm, where some 
are still to be found. Most of the country cattle are some shade 
of red, with a certain amount of white, especially about the face, 
but not so constantly as with our Herefords ; the colour also 
varies from nearly yellow to a deep red. The best specimens 
are red with blackish points (see Fig. 8), in this respect resem- 
Fig 8. — Cmo of the Swedish Herrgardm'ace (from a Photograph). 
bling the Angeln breed, as well as in being excellent milkers.. 
I should also mention that the Rev. J. Storer, of Hellidon, 
Northamptonshire, having directed my attention to the value of 
pictures as indicators of the origin and history of cattle, I found 
some by Dutch masters of the seventeenth century, including 
one (No. 572) by Paul Potter, in the Stockholm Museum, which 
might well have been taken for portraits of the ordinary Swedish 
cows with white faces. 
It is now very rare to meet with the Swedish cattle pure y 
