Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1914-12-10
{ e.oaFtMaY ed M. D. MaleEl. }

Copenhagen. Denmark How has
Denmark. d iittIs country with less
than fifteen thousand square miles OF
area. established itself aa enc Of tho
best agricultural cenfers In the world
Why - Il that Denmark produces thu
best buttaF. tho best bacon. the best
eggs, that have ever been placed upon
the markets ef Europef How can Lhis
little country export each year fifty
odd million dollars worth OF butter.
over four million dollars worth az
cream and milk. thirty odd million do.
lars worth Of the finest bacon and
eight million dollars worth Of eggsg
Denmark has no rich mines. no great
forests, no water power. The soil,
the one resource. In not naturally fer.
tile. Iii fact. Denmark is d Iow-IyinR
sxpanse o. windswept sand dunea
with here and there ANAL stretches
of richer soil Much of Its more pro
Gnctixe sell Is the result of scIensiflx
drainage. fertilization and rotation Ot
efopa Chilling winds sweep over the
country the year around. and these
with The prevailing foga. render the
climate an inhospltable one.
/ Man has been no kinder than nature
70 thia little country. I'm tho eight
zenith century tho nobility and the
crown owned al the valuable lands
while the peaHantry were either aerEs
Oh tenants under impossible condi
ltions. Export duties axnade foreign
commerce anproiitahle. Early III the
nineteenth century economic condi
tons bad only begun to Improve whes
the Napoieonie wars again spread die
lastar and poverty over the country
atlil little later Denmark'a Ger
manic n8ighhors To the south tool
from the already small nation the
province of schlaswig- Hoistaia. Their
Germany. In the early eighties. bull
up high tariff wan which excluded
Danish products. The commerce 1poR
which the people depended for then
revenues was gone. and the countrg
was stiil again grievously stricken.
lss Present Prosperity.
Yet today. Ia spite OF all these handl
leaps, penmark II In proportion 10 Ia
population the weaithieat country II
Europe. Eighty-nlna per cent OF hi,
Agricnlturists own their own land. Hel
farmers have been called the hes;
farmers and the mcat skilled rara
business men In the world. Rara
Denmark produces the best bacon. but
ter and eggs ever produced: their pigl
turn feed into pork more scientiflcai
Iiy than the porkers OF any other ma
ltions their hens lag more eggs. ant
their cows ara more effective as mlll
land butter producing machines. These
farmers have worked out a system o.
90 operative marketing 30 effective
that II III estimated that over ninety
per cent or what the consumer payi
for Danish farm products actual,
REACHES the pockat.book &c the man
who produces liza rather significant
ilgnre compared with the generally
accepted estimate that the Atnerscaz
farmer gets only from thirty.flye &c
Ifprty-alx per cent OF what the city con
lsumer pays for bits product
How has Denmark reached this POSI-
ton agraeaiiaraliy1 Why TN II that aba
6raa produce the best bacon. butter ane
saggsY The answer seems to be: First
because she has nm efficient eduea
isicnai syatem: second, because the
government ID giving aid which, while
defective. In not undaly paternalistie:
third. because OF cooperation,
/ Danish Farmer an Eaucafsd Man.
III takes brains 10 raise tho mesi
aristocratlc sort OF products that art
produced In Denmark. No ignorant
people could take the bleak. sandy I
plains OF Denmark and make great
gardens Of them, gardens supporting
splendid aggressive. progressive. pros
porous race. IL requires native
shrawdness to DO thaaa things, but n
reauires something more. II requires
In addition scientific agricultural
knowledge. q BIG conception of the ART /
cultural possibilities OF the country and
q generous loyalty % state and com
muaity--an aggregate og qualities thai
none but an educated man possesses |
And the Dane ii indeed In very truth
In every sense ii the word an educated
man. He has hean trained 20 make
the best use Or himself and of his sn |
vironment
AZ q hoy he was compelled BIZ law
No attend school ninth no was fooFteen |