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of mechanical forces, it is not decreasing. The great
progress of agriculture naturally demands more horses.
Formerly a considerable number were exported to
Sweden; but Sweden has now imposed a duty of 100
kroner per horse on such imports, and more horses are
now sent to Russia. It is remarkable that a considerable
number are found near the river Torneå, and it
seems that thousands of horses pass this frontier by
themselves — which is one way of evading the bad
effects of import duty. The Finnish horses sent over
to Sweden to take part in trotting-matches invariably
won, until the Swedes deliberately raised the height
of the competing horses, so excluding the Finnish
competitors.
Finland contains about 1,100,000 sheep, and the
number does not appear to increase much. On the
large farms, indeed, the number has decreased
considerably; as is the case in several other northern
countries, where it is now found more profitable to
increase the number of cows. The number of sheep
owned by the poorer class of peasant is, however,
increasing as they grow more prosperous; so that in
the west, where the peasants are better off than in the
east, the number is larger. The breed is a very poor
one, owing to the barren pastures and to lack of
attention during the winter; but it is being improved
by the importation of southdowns and other English
varieties suited to the country.
In the farthest north, on the tundras of the Lapps,
the reindeer is invaluable, and no other animal could
take its place. It not only provides milk, meat, and
skin for clothes and other purposes, but it does the
work of the horse, three reindeer being able to draw
as much as one horse. For some years the number of
them decreased steadily, partly because the wandering
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