Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - III. Rural Husbandry. Introd. by H. Juhlin Dannfelt - 4. Public and Private Institutions for the Advancement of Agriculture. Introd. by W. Flach - Sowing Seed Question. By Hj. Nilsson
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
1-2-2
iii. rural husbandry.
pure and good seed — of grass seed in the first place, but also of that of
root crops. By an ordinance issued in 1909, requiring all imported clover seed
to be coloured, a sure method has also been got for preventing the spread
of less hardy sorts of seed in such parts of the country for which they are not
suitable.
The work done at Svalöv through the efforts of the Swedish Seed
Association and the General Swedish Seed Co., Ltd. The rise of this
work in connection with the seed-culture question has already been mentioned. Like
so many other enterprizes of public importance in Sweden, it rose from private
initiative among the ranks of the farmers themselves, and from the demand a more thorough
system of agriculture gave rise to for a better quality of seed than that hitherto
found in old, native sorts, or in the unreliable seed from abroad. In 1886
there was established for this purpose a local association, whose chief office was
at Svalöv in Skåne, but this society was developed the very next year to a
general Swedish one, and, finally, after its fusion in 1894 with an association
which had been founded for the central parts of the country after the rise of
that of Svalöv, it became the Swedish Seed Association (Sveriges
utsädesförening), and, as such, represents the work performed in common in aid
of this branch of agriculture. All the agricultural societies came with their
support and financial assistance (ca. 15 000 kronor annually, on an average)
during the course of the first few years, and from 1890 the State gave a
grant, amounting then to 15 000 kronor, but increased in 1905 to 40 000
kronor, in 1913 to 50 000 kronor, and in 1914 to 81 000 kronor, after the
agricultural societies had withdrawn. The number of members is 1 300, of whom
300 are life-members, the remainder paying an annual subscription of 5 kronor.
The budget for 1913 amounts to more than 100 000 kronor, one of the items
being 60 000 kronor received in payment for the Association’s seed offered for
sale. The fees of 100 kronor each paid by the life-members, which amount
to 35 000 kronor, have been made over to the building fund, which has also
received gifts amounting to more than 265 000 kronor, a speaking testimony to
the interest felt by the public in this matter. The Association now owns a
magnificent, specially equipped establishment at Svalöv, with an estate in
connection with it.
The work of the Association is carried out chiefly at Svalöv, although, in
order that the various parts of the country may profit by the results obtained,
two branch establishments have been opened, one for central Sweden at Ultuna,
which has been in operation since 1897 (from 1894 at Örebro), and one for
Norrland, at Luleå, since 1906. The work is superintended by a director
(since 1890, Professor N. Hj. Nilsson) and twelve permanent officials, 5 of
whom are specialists at Svalöv. Each branch-office has also a director.
The Association has pursued its task of improving plant cultivation in Swedish
agriculture, principally by the breeding of new and richly productive varieties
of the various kinds of seed which are specially adapted for the varying
conditions in the different parts of the country. The first to be taken in
hand were wheat, barley, oats, peas and vetches, after which there gradually
came rye, potatoes, clover, grass, and root crops. The new varieties obtained
have, after being thoroughly tested, gradually come into very general use all
over the country ; in certain parts of Sweden they have practically entirely
superseded the older sorts and are coming into more general use in the more
northerly parts of the country, too. It is acknowledged very generally, too,
that they have essentially contributed to the considerable increase in value
exhibited of låte years by the harvests in Sweden. Abroad, too, they have
attracted great . attention and are being much employed, and have made the
name of Svalöv known over the whole of the civilized world, which is proved,
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
