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Domestic Development 167
The Mining Industry. In his efforts to build up the
mining industry Gustavus Adolphus followed his fa-
ther’s plan. Here, too, capital was needed. This was
secured by inviting a wealthy Hollander, Louis De
Geer, who employed his means in the founding of iron
works in Finspong and about the Dannemora mines.
He filled also another want, that of skillful miners and
iron workers, by inducing a number of them to immi-
grate to Sweden from the part of the Netherlands now
known as Belgium.
Soon there appeared in the former wilds busy activi-
ties that furnished bread and prosperity to thousands.
Ore was mined in masses as never before. Blast fur-
naces and forges blazed and sizzled, forge hammers
boomed, smoke from the charring-stacks filled the for-
ests, waterfalls furnished power for mills, forges, and
shops of many sorts. The example set by these im-
ported workmen and the many new enterprises stirred
up the Swedes, and thus encouraged even other in-
dustries.
The Falun Copper Mine had its most flourishing
period about the middle of the seventeenth century. A
marvelous work has been performed in the recesses of
that mine during the last seven centuries. During that
time this one mine has yielded half a million tons of
pure copper. In output no other mine in the world
equals it.
Agriculture. The government did not give the same
attention to agriculture as to trade, mining, and manu-
facture, as it would not yield revenue as quickly as the
other industries. That agriculture offers many advan-
tages in other respects was not considered. "The wel-
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