Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-11-16
q Farming In Norway.

A correspondent of London paper
writes: Of the $4,000 square miles
which Norway contains. only $500 are
pasturage, and only $50 are under the
pillow. The consequence is that not only
corn, but also butter and meat, have to
be imported in large quantities. From
what has been said it will he inferred
that the country is more pastoral than
agricultural. Yet one sees very few cat
tie when passing through the country in
summer. The reason is that at that
season, as in Switzerland, the peasantrv
drive their cattle up the mountains and
themselves live in d'saeters," or pictur-
esque huts of solid timber. Much of the
agriculture in Norway is of the most
primitive character, small wooden
plows, held by boys and drawn by men,
being still commonly used in many parts
of the country. The principal crops
grown are oats, barley, rye and potatoes.
Flax and hemp are also successfully
grown in southern parts. The chief
grain region is the valley of Lake
Mjosen, where the growing of wheat
has sometimes been attempted, but not
with marked success. The hay crop,
though by no means heavy, is widely
diffused, and it is cleaned in what would
generally be deemed impossible places
on narrow lodges a thousand feet
above the sea and in deep valleys where
there is very little sunshine The hay is
dried in a peculiar fashion. 1t is not
spread over the field, but is hung out, as
in some parts of .Switzerland, on fences
or hurdles. Rows of posts are set up
in the fields, and from these lines of
cord or wire are stretched at distance
of one foot or eighteen inches from one
another. On these lines the hay is
hung, and it remains there in wetweath-
er as in dry. In wet weather the moist
ure drips to the ground. In fine weather
the sun beats on the outer layers and
the wind passes through the interior,
and whatever the state of the weather
the hay is left there till it is ready to be
housed. The hay is transported from
the upland regions by a novel contriv-
ance known as the ebay telegraph" A
rope or wire, sometimes one thousand
feet in length, slopes down from the top
of pricipice to the bottom of the val
ley. A bundles of hay is suspended from
ring through which the rope or wire
passes, and is snot down to the bottom
with lightning speed. Bundles of brush
wood and fire-wood are sent down from
the higher ground in the same way. The
scythe generally used in moving the
hay is much smaller than that in use in
England. In the Valdres route. how
ever, near Odnaes, 1 noticed some at
tempts at what would be called scientific
farming. In one field mowing-machine
was at work, and in another the hay had
been spread out in the English fashion
and was being turned. over by a revolv-
ing rake drawn by horse. Both ma
chimes were evidently of recent importa-
ton, and attracted the attention of the
natives much more than of the foreign
ers. Whatever may be said of the Nor
wegians, it can not but be admitted that
they are most ingenious in deyising con-
trivances which at once save their labor
and take full advantage of the peculiar
conformation of their country. Their
timber-shoots are another instance of
their labo~ious ingenuity. They make
wood ways and slides which extend over
hundreds of feet from the tops of the
hills to the sea shore. - EE&k