244 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
March  17,  1904. 
are  an  industrious  race,  a  saving  race,  and  a  temperate 
race. 
As  regards  the  proprietorship  of  the  land,  we  find  that 
ninety  per  cent,  of  tlie  peasant  occupiers  are  proprietors. 
The  “  estates  ”  vary  veiy  much  in  size,  thus  :  Estates  from 
a  quarter  of  an  acre  to  six  acres  number  92,656  ;  total 
acreage.  155.766  ;  making  an  average  of  1.6  statute  acres 
each.  From  six  acres  to  twentj'-four  and  a  half,  66,491 
estates,  having  on  the  average  12.6  acres  each.  Over 
twenty-four  and  a  half  acres,  73,889  estates,  averaging  74.7 
acres  each.  All  these  little  farms  or  properties  have  had 
their  birth  since  1851,  when  certain  companies,  authorised 
bj'  Government,  took  mortgages  up  to  50  per  cent.,  and 
the  repayment  of  these  mortgages  extendecl  from  periods 
of  fifty  to  100  years.  This  chance  of  borrowing  money  on 
easy  temis  was  a  great  inducement  to  the  peasant  to 
become  a  proprietor.  We  cannot  find  out  one  thing  we 
should  like  to  know,  viz.,  how  it  was  that  land  in  suitable 
parcels  came  into  the  market,  unless  it  was  that,  owing 
to  severe  losses,  the  large  proprietors  were  so  sadly  hit 
prior  to  1851  that  they  were  thankful  to  subdivide  their 
estates  and  live  on  the  proceeds. 
The  difficulty  with  us  is  to  find  the  land,  except  such 
as  is  totally  unsuited,  for  even  the  most  painstaking  and 
j^lodding  of  workers  ;  unsuitable  either  from  its  inherent 
badness  (heartbreaking  clay  or  blow-away  sand),  and  as  to 
the  latter  it  will  bring  in  far  better  returns  if  turned  into 
game  coveids,  for  there  will  always  be  here  a  strong 
deniand  for,  and  consequently  a  good  price  made  of, 
suitable  partridge  grounds.  The  love  of  sport  is  so  in¬ 
herent  that  we  will  have  it  at  whatever  cost.  As  for  the 
clays,  we  doubt  if  any  such  as  now  form  our  derelict  lands 
can  be  met  with  in  any  countrv  outside  our  sea-girt 
bordei  s. 
As  far  as  we  can  gather  the  Danish  peasant  is  bent  on 
.self-improvement.  He  feels  and  knows  that  education  (of 
the  right  sort)  is  the  lever  by  which  he  can  move  moun¬ 
tains,  and  therefore  he  makes  it  his  business  to  get  as 
much  of  it  as  he  can,  not  only  the  ordinary  book  learning, 
which  appears  to  be  of  a  very  good  and  liberal  type,  but 
also  he  embraces  the  opportunities  offered  him  of  attend¬ 
ing  the  agricultural  courses  which  are  found  in  Connection 
with  the  higher  grade  schools.  We  say  ■'  him,”  but  here  we 
err,  for  the  classes  are  open  to  girls  as  well  as  boys. 
Having  got  education,  the  next  step  is  to  apply  it  to 
daily  life,  and  this  is  done  with  great  success.  The  people 
see  for  themselves  the  necessity  of  unity.  It  is  the  old 
fable  of  the  bundle  of  sticks  over  again.  All  these  small 
holders  would  be  powerless  if  they  acted  alone  ;  therefore, 
like  wise  men  and  women,  they  combine,  finding  in  that 
union  strength.  Agriculture  is  the  leading  industry,  and 
into  that  they  put  all  their  energies.  Finding  that  their 
dairy  produce  commanded  a  good  market,  they  have  made 
dairy  work  one  of  their  chief  aims.  They  have  (and  this 
quickly)  got  together  such  herds  or  breeds  of  cows  most 
suited  to  the  various  districts,  and  also  most  capable  of 
giving  the  best  result  in  the  milk  pail.  In  fact,  every 
.separate  detail  has  been  reduced  to  system,  and  that 
system  the  best  that  human  ingenuity  can  devise.  Every 
atom  of  land  is  brought  under  the  closest  cultivation,  for 
each  individual  farmer  has  not  more  than  he  can  person¬ 
ally  supervise.  We  have  a  rooted  idea  here  that  for  dairy 
work  we  must  have  good  old  grass,  and  very  nice  it  is  ; 
but  probably  a  more  expensive  system  cannot  be  found. 
In  Denmai’k  permanent  pasture  is  practicallj"  unknown,  for 
the  simple  reason  that  by  the  cultivation  of  grass  and  clover 
crops  the  forage  is  most  materially  increased  ;  that  is,  far 
more  weight  of  food  stuff  is  produced  per  acre.  When  the 
milk,  too,  is  constantly  tested  at  the  several  creameries, 
it  IS  necessary  that  steps  be  taken,  not  only  to  produce 
quantity,  but  quality  likewise.  It  is  necessary,  too,  that 
the  said  milk  should  be  clean  and  free  from  any  other  than 
milk  flavour,  and  for  the  guidance  of  the  farmer  a  list  of 
rules  is  drawn  up.  We  do  not  know  whether  they  are  the 
.same  for  all  the  1,200  creameries,  but  doubtless  all  are 
much  alike.  All  milk  by  law  has  to  be  pasteurised  before 
being  sold  ;  this  must  materially  lessen  all  risk  of  disease 
to  the  consumer. 
There  is  one  remark  at  the  end  of  the  rules  Avhich 
strikes  us  as  being  very  good.  ”  Regard  this  excellent 
work  as  one  of  honour,"  i.e.,  this  work  of  milking  and 
managing  the  cow.  W  e  are  afraid  here  it  is  often  looked 
upon  as  a  work  of  necessity,  but  by  no  means  pleasurable 
work,  and  as  such  to  be  got  through  Avith  the  greatest  ex¬ 
pediency  possible.  It  is  a  marvellous  sum  of  money  to 
be  realised  in  one  year  from  the  sale  of  butter,  £8,175,777, 
and  this  from  a  small  country  like  Denmark.  Cheese- 
making  is  practically  in  its  infancy,  but  such  a  skilful 
butter-making  nation  Avill  not  fail  at  cheese-making  if  by  it 
they  'find  an  honest  peniiA'  may  be  turned.  The  bacon 
industry,  too,  is  quite  of  modern  times.  Owing  to  the 
principle  of  co-operation  as  applied  to  the  rearing  and 
feeding  of  pigs,  and  the  erection  and  equipment  of  curing 
factories,  the  groAvth  of  this  trade  has  been  something, 
enormous  during  the  last  fifteen  years.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  considerable'  help  has  been  afforded  to  these  factories 
by  the  public  spirit  in  Avhich  financing  has  been  done,  both 
b}^  banking  institutions  and  the  co-operation  of  the 
Municipal  bodies,  and  the  associations  of  merchants  and 
traders.  But  money  Avill  not  do  everything,  and  it  is  to  the 
praise  of  the  farmer  that  he  has  so  quickly  fallen  into  line, 
i.e.,  learnt  Avhich  is  the  best  style  of  pig,  the,  one  most 
appreciated  bv  the  consumer,  and  straightAvay  bred  that 
variety  for  all  he  Avas  Avorth.  The  value  of  bacon  exported 
in  1901  Avas  £3,4-18,444. 
In  Copenhagen  Ave  find  the  largest  institution  for  the 
export  of  eggs,  and  there  are  eight  similar  centres  scattered 
through  the  country,  and  to  them  are  affiliated  4C0  societies, 
all  engaged  in  the  Avork  of  collecting  and  packing  eggs. 
These  eggs  are  bought  bij  u-eitihf,  a  system  much  to  Ije 
desired  in  our  markets.  Every  care  is  taken  to  exclude 
doubtful  eggs,  and  any  member  of  the  associations  sending 
stale  eggs  twice  is  promptly  expelled.  The  money  value 
of  exported  eggs  in  1901  reached  the  respectable  sum  of 
£1,009,555. 
There  is  another  little  point  Ave  failed  to  mention  Avhen 
on  the  subject  of  education.  The  children  of  small  famiers 
and  labourers  ai’e  not  expected  to  go  to  school  every  day  ; 
it  is  a  case  of  half  book-learning  and  half  practical  educa¬ 
tion  on  the  land.  But  they  do  not  consider  their  educa¬ 
tion  complete  Avhen  the  age  of  fourteen  is  attained.  They 
are  eager  for  learning,  and  continue  to  attend  classe.-i 
up  to  the  age  of  tAA'enty  years  or  more.  W"e  have  much  to 
learn  from  these  industrious,  clever  people,  but  AA^e  think 
it  is  hopeless  to  expect  a  like  condition  of  things  to 
exist  here  until  this  land  is  all  cut  up  into  small  holdings, 
and  Government  treats  the  agidcultural  industry  as  one 
Avorthy  of  protection  and  encouragement. 
Work  on  tho  Home  Farm. 
W’e  seem  to  be  no  nearer  spring  soAA'ing  than  aa'c  were  a  month 
ago.  A  couple  of  days  since  Ave  Avere  A’isited  by  a  regular  deluge, 
and  traA’elling  yesterday  to  a  sale  ten  miles  away,  Ave  could  .see 
Avater  standing  in  pools  in  nearly  every  field.  No  land  Avork 
seemed  possible,  but  in  one  field  tAAO  pairs  of  hor.ses  Avere  at  AA'ork 
setting  out  Potato  ridges.  W'e  thought  they  AA'ould  have  been 
better  in  the  stable.  W'e  saAv  a  farmer  from  a  loAvlying  district 
AA’ho  said  that  this  horses  had  not  been  on  the  land  for  tAA'o  months. 
W’e  have  not  much  Avinter  AA  heat  soavii  about  here,  and  hardly 
any  has  been  soavii  on  lea.  It  all  looks  badly,  but  particularly 
the  lea  Avheat,  Avhich  Avas  soavii  too  late,  came  up  badly,  and  is 
now  getting  less  every  clay  instead  of  groAving.  It  Avants  a  good 
rolling,  but  that  is  out  of  the  question  at  present.  Potato  land 
Avheat  is  better,  but  not  A-ery  promising.  It  Avill  be  the  smallest 
Avheat  crop  on  record  for  this  district.  Seed  barley  of  good 
equality  is  not  A'ery  plentiful,  and  nice  samples  sell  AA'ell.  A  friend 
bought  one  quarter  of  the  '•  Maltster  ”  A'ariety  last  spring,  soAved 
it  on  2.1  acres,  and  has  seA'enteen  cpiarters  from  it.  Price  42s., 
Avhich  must  be  paving  him  Avell. 
W’  e  are  glad  to  Avrite  that  the  loss  of  eAves  Avhich  Ave  mentioned 
last  Aveek  is  a  solitary  case.  The  majority  of  farmers  are  enjoying 
very  good  fortune,  and  there  is  a  heaA'y  fall  of  Iambs.  Some  of 
the  eai'ly  starters  have  nearlv  got  their  lambing  .season  ovei',  and 
hold  good  records.  There  is  plenty -of  keep  in  the  young  seed 
pastures  Avhere  rye  grass  has  been  liberally  soavii.  Noav  that  tlie 
grain  crops  are  secondary  considerations,  the  Avelfare  of  the  flock 
must  be  looked  to,  and  there  is  nothing  like  Italian  rye  gra.ss  for 
eAves  and  lambs  in  early  .spring. 
We  have  a  mare  doAvn  Avith  lock-jaAv,  rather  a  mysterious 
case,  for  she  has  apparently  had  no  Avound.  Severe  cold  may  have 
been  the  cause,  but  more  probably  it  has  arisen  from  a  triAual 
scratch  Avhich  has  escaped  notice.  The  vet.  has  hopes  of  a  cure, 
and  Ave  have  not  given  her  up.  The  loss  of  a  good  lior-se  in  such 
a  manner  is  serious  in  these  bad  times.  Good  one.s  at  the  sales 
make  £50  and  upAvards,  and  farmers  have  no  £50  notes  to  spare. 
The  egg  market  keeps  firm,  for  hens  are  decidedly  backward  in 
laying  this  spring,  no  doubt  OAving  to  the  bad  Aveather.  We 
believe  that  continuous  Avet  has  a  Avorse  effect  than  sev'.ere  but 
dry  cold. 
