Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1949-12-13
Sweden
Mother Industry"


farmers are small landowners with
farms not exceeding 25 acres. Only
is per cent of total farms are
over l25 acres. Therefore, the re-
lation of farming to the structure
of agricultural production is COM
parable TO that of handicraft and
small businesses within the sphere
of manufacturing
But large-scale enterprises have
arisen from the organization of
eooperatives for the purchasing
Of farm products.
Almost unchanged over many
years, the % million acres of ar
able land are intensively titled
through the aid of heavy fertiliz-
ing.
Farming and 6airying are the
main divisions of agriculture, with
pig and poultry raising important.
Truck gardening, fruit farming,
fur breeding. sheep raising, and
bee keeping hold secondary status.
Most Swedish farmers are COM
bination farmers and do not spec
ialize in any particular branch.
Combination of forestry and farm
North. where the farm forest
ing are common, especially in the
yields more profits than the shall
low soil planted to crops.
New Deal. BY offering loans and
subsidies for merging small, un-
profitable farms into larger and
more productive units Of $3.50
acres, the Government intends to
remake at least 100000 of these
small holdings large enough to
support family by farming.
Out Of Ala 900 holdings in the
country. 5000 are less than five
acres and serve only for partial
support of the owner; 20S.o
farms between and 25 acres are
considered unprofitable; $4,000
farms have the basic size for sup
porting a family; $50 acres;
per cent of farm acreage is titled
by tenants and the remainder by
resident owners.
The farmers income level and
foodstuff prices are fixed in Gov
ernment-farmer deliberations over
an annual agricultural price cal
culation. For the regulation year
194s 10. calculations showed total
agricultural income OF 2.610 mill
or. tT25 mill: 10 $50 MILL and
expenditures of 2.es7 mill or
CSs29,7 mill; ID. 200 MILL. To
avoid overall price increases On
farm products. the farmers ad
ditionai income was fixed at 163
mill. or 1852 mill: 10. 112 mill).
the bulk of which was given as
a Government subsidy
Research. Plant breeding and
research work have resulted II the
development OF number OF yar'e-
ties and strains capable OF thriv-
ing IT any part Of the country de-
spite extreme differe Z ces in
climate.
Cattle breeding Is concerned
with cattle Of Swedish breed. Swe-
dish Polled. Swedish Red and
White. and Swedish Low Land
tFrisianl. The White Poued Is the
spec.al type used II the mountain
Gus North. the red-and-whItes are
most widely spread over the
country; the large. white-and- black
low lsnders rule supreme on the
sugar beet plains Of the south.
INFLAMMATION
Part Of the overall rationallZa-
ton program : widespread mech
snization. somewhat hampered by
small farm units The number Of
tractors has especially increased
with le4s as a top year. Il 500
tractors were purchased. 5000
were IN use that year. but esti-
mated needs were about IS. 600
Plans provide for erection OF COL
lective machine stations serving
farmers in the different areas
Since 1887. large numbers OF
combines have been added to the
farmers equipment
Total purchases Of implements
increased from 20 million crowns
in 1888 to go million crown IN