Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1914-05-07
NORWAY.

Maren vongrayen of Ebros celebrat- ]
ed her one hundredth birthday ami
versary March "a She is unquestion-
ably the Oldest inhabitant Of that part
of the country. She was born in a
little hut in the outskirts of the min
ing town in which she is still living.
Her parents we're very poor. Dark,
hard porridge and black bark bread
had to be depended on for their daily
fare. She attended reading school,
parts Of two years, but she had no
chance to learn to write. Shortly after
her confirmation she took up dress
making and tailoring as a trade, and
she became an expert in that line. II
some one wanted something swell In
the line of wearing apparel in that
part of the country, he had to send for
"Maren" to do the work. Her pay was
miserable, but she managed to save
enough to get farm and house Of
her own. At the age of thirty she
was married to Jon Vongraven of
Aalen. Now she is loved and honored
by a great number Of descendants.
She is still living in the house that
she had built 70 years ago. She
is about the house part of the time,
and at times her mind is still clear.
The sudden disappearance of the
white grouse from certain sections Of
the country has always been more or
81 fnx ~
was claimed that when they become
very numerous In a certain locality
some kind of disease is apt to break
out and put an end to most of them.
Now a new theory has been advanced.
A year ago last winter there were very
many white grouse in Hemsedal In
the spring 1t was noticed that the
birds would gather in hundreds, and
even thousands. They acted pretty
much like birds of passage do in the
fall when they are getting ready to go
south. All of a sudden they disap-
peared, hardly single specimen be-
ing left in the locality. Shortly after
wards great numbers of white grouse
appeared in Sogn. Similar cases are
on record in other parts OF the coun-
try. This leads to the supposition that
when the birds become too numerous
in certain locality they will remove
to some new place where they can get
plenty to eat.
A leading Christiania business man
recently made an address on the food
supply of Norway in case of war. He
held that a general European war
would exclude Norway from the grain
markets of the world. In what condi-
ton would that leave the country? In
the fall of the year there is grain
enough in the country to last for
three months. But.if war suddenly
breaks out in the spring of the year,
the supply on hand will last only one
month. Norway imports grain at the
rate of s16,000.000 a year, or about
s45, 200 day. The grain crop Of Nor
way has dropped 20 per cent since
1875, while Denmark can point to an
increase of 20, Sweden to SO per cent,
and Germany even to an increase of
10 per cent. The speaker found this
to be very serious matter. He point
ed out that the soil of Norway yields
larger returns per acre than the other
countries of northern Europe, and the
danger can be remedied il the people
take advantage Of the natural re-
sources of the country.
The Ostraat manor, near Trondhjem,
one OF the oldest and most famous es-
tates in the country, is simply going
to wreck and ruin. Different parties
have been In possession Of 1t In mod
ern times, and each owner has seen
fit to make improvements" which
make the buildings look like crazy
patchwork. That part of the main
building known as the chapel is said
to have been built in the year 1910.
A six-year-old boy picked up purse
full OF paper money on the public road
at Tim, Telemarken. The bills were
all new, and the amount was $4,000.
The find was advertised, and the own
err was found to be farmer who had
lost the purse last summer while driv-
ing home from town. He gave the
finder 1910.