Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Second part - VI. Agriculture and Cattle-Breeding - 1. Agriculture. Partly after information from P. Lundell, Ebbetorp, Member of the Riksdag - Green-crops - Other cultivated plants - Agricultural Machinery and Implements
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AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY AND IMPLEMENTS. 541
only upon artificial swards, grazing within cattle-enclosures being used chiefly
for young horses and cattle. Smaller farmers, crofters, and labourers in many
places let their cattle go grazing on forest-pastures, but the right to the use of
these has begun to be restricted, since the introduction of more modern forestry.
In many Läns it is forbidden to let goats graze in the woods, a fact which has
contributed to the diminution of these animals. Where care is taken of the
woods, sheep are not willingly allowed to graze in these. The best pastures in
Southern Sweden are in Småland and Gotland, where the ground is covered with
different grasses and a number of herbs, amongst which many are leguminous.
Leaf-trees of many kinds, mostly oak and birch, stand more or less closely
together upon the pasture-grounds. Of låte years, permanent pastures have been
laid out, which are used, partly for hay-harvest and partly for grazing.
Other cultivated plants
are of little importance in Swedish agriculture. Some data respecting
the cultivation of flax and tobacco are given in the corresponding
sections of the chapter on industries. Besides these, there is scarcely
anything else to be mentioned than that rape-seed is cultivated in some
parts of Skåne — with very variable results from one year to the
other.
The total acreage devoted to the growing of other crops than cereals,
root-, or fodder-crops amounted in 1900 to but 4,861 hectares, of which
3,926 hectares gave crops of textile plants.
Agricultural Machinery and Implements.
The more general use of agricultural machinery can be dated from
the decade 1871/80; thrashing-machines were in general use, however,
also during the sixties. As is well known, machinery plays a very
important part in modern agriculture, and this is more and more
becoming the case in Sweden, too. At first the more complicated machines
were imported from abroad, especially from America, but of låte years
the Swedish manufacture has attained considerable dimensions and
perfection. In 1900, Sweden imported agricultural machinery and tools to
the value of 1,552,992 kronor, but exported such goods — mostly
embracing dairy machinery — to a value of 6,326,190 kronor.
A short notice is here given of newly invented machinery, or of
such as has been much changed in form, employed in agriculture
proper.
Ploughs. The old-fashioned ploughs, which consisted of iron-shod wooden
beams, were generally changed, during the forties, for English ploughs which had
rarely been in use ever since the beginning of the century and which had chiefly
the same shape as the modern swing-plough. The Vermland plough, which was
in use as early as the 18th century, is still common and has served as a model
in the construction of several new forms of ploughs, even in foreign countries.
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