Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1909-12-02
TIDINGS FROM
| SCANDINAVIA
Interesting News from Sweden.
Norway and Denmark.
MANY FARMS ARE ABANDONED

For Some Reason or Other Agricu''
ture Seems To Be On the Decline
In sweden-TweIve Thousand Idle
Farms in Norriand and Daiarne--
Government Authorities Alarmed ov.
er the Situation-Thinss Are Differ.
ent in SHANE.
SWEDEN.
II Is a noticeable fact that agricul
| tural pursuits seem to be on the de
| cline in Sweden. Just where the trouble
lies, is difficult to say, but certain ii
is, that there is something radically
wrong somewhere. During the past
| few decades not less than 10000
| farms have been abandoned up in Norr
| land and Dalarne. 1t seems. too, that
! the same thing has taken place in 9th
er parts of the country in fact aban
| doned farms are common sight all
| over the country. In 1870 more than
| 72 per cent of the entire Swedish pop
ulation were engaged in agriculture
such as stock raising and general farm
ing. Meanwhile the percentage of those
engaged in industrial pursuits in
| creased from Is to 20 per cent and
| those engaged in commercial pursuits
| from to IL per cent. During the
years 1S71-1S75 Sweden exported grain
F., to foreign countries for about $1,000,
900 year, and during the years OF
he cd in fnr OH M
100000 worth a year and she is at
the present time importing more grain
than ever. This fact is alarming the
| government authorities in no small de.
gree, and as emigration is receiving a
fresh impetus from labor troubles, etc,
they are now becoming doubly appre-
hensive. II seems that the section in
Sweden which takes care of itself best
so far as agricultural pursuits are con.
cerned is Skane. About three thou
sand cars are engaged every hour Of
| the day and night In carrying beets
| from the country to the sugar fac
tories. The average weight of load
of beets is from seven to eight TONS
All cars that can be spared in Sweden
have been sent to Skane for the beet
campaign as it is popularity called
| down there.
| There is no country in the world
which has a better set of roads than
! Sweden. At the end of the year 1895
| Sweden had $3.50 kilometers of coun-
try roads, all in very good shape. In
| the northern section of the kingdom
| the mileage was only about 4 $40 kilo-
meters a hundred square kilometers,
while in the southern part the cor
responding figure amounted to thirty
| two kilometers a square kilometer
| Since 1910 the state has, to an ever
| increasing extent. contributed towards
keeping the roads in good condition.
In that year state appropriation OF
| $4,000 was made for new roads and
| for general road repairs. These ap-
preparations have been continually in
creased until in the year 1900 an
amount of 1867 900 was granted for
that purpose. BY these means a
! length of road of about 5000 miles has
been constructed or improved since
| 1870 The construction of new roads
has of late chiefly been carried on i'm
the north of Sweden. During the years
1S4l and 1900 state appropriations of
about 21,00o,000 crowns were granted
for the construction of new highways
and the Improvement of the old ones,
amounting to more than $8,640,000
The condition of the roads has been
greatly improved of late years and are
in splendid condition. especially in the
northern section of the country.
An exchange says: Evidently emf
grafton from Sweden and Norway has
not ceased. From Jan. s to Sept. 8
not less than 1921 Swedes have left
their homes for America. From port
Of Bergen. Norway, no less than 2,63C
emigrated to the United States and
Canada, from January to October
of the present year Nearly all of
these came from that city or that
vicinity. During the same time Of the
year 1908, the number was only 1852.
/ Swedish-Americans are sending
large amounts of money to friends and
relatives in the homeland Last year
1 tuCi0 WCtC oCHt tue ChltCu
States 1922 money orders. repre-
senting sum amounting in Swc-
dish money to not less than 1880.
641 crowns. Thus 1t Is that the
hand of friendship Is extended
over the Atlantic and little Swe.
den has more friends In America than
on any other place on earth.
There is an appalling number Of con-
sumptives in Stockholm. Last year
there were not less than S44 persons
who died from consumption and this
number 1t appears is great increase
over that OF former years. From in
; fiammation fthe lungs there were SOC
, victims and from cancer ABB. The
. death rate OF Legitimate children is
, also increasing very rapidly.
A London paper states that II be
lieves that the French author Anatole
France will this year be awarded the
Nobel Literary prize and expresses its
satisfaction over the choice. Thomas
Alva Edison has been prominently
mentioned for prizes in physics and
. m ornis<rv