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80
iii. rural husbandry.
Liberty", as it was called (v. the section on the History of Sweden), by the
energetic initiative of Jonas Alströmer. This prominent economist, like Gustavus
Vasa, introduced foreign improved breeds of cattle into the kingdom, and he
indicated the method by which the greater part of our existing stock of
cattle is nowadays improved, for he recommended cross-breeding, and pointed
out that the improvement of the breeds of cattle should be brought about "by
crossing good sires with poor females".
The efforts made during the "Period of Liberty" for the development of
cattle-rearing were, it is true, crowned with success at first, but in the middle of the
18th century the cattle plague reached Sweden, and destroyed the farmers’
hopes of better times. After the Alströmer period, cattle-rearing steadily declined,
in spite of the fact that interest in efforts for the improvement of the industry
seems to have awakened to fresh life during the reign of Gustavus HI, when
private initiative came to the fore, and, among other things, brought about the
import of breeding-cattle from Holland, Denmark, and other countries.
The Agricultural Societies and the Academy of Agriculture (see pp. 142 and
122) at first met with great difficulties and could do very little to assist
the cattle-rearing industry. During the years of warfare at the beginning of
the 19th century, the economic position of the entire country was a very bad
one, the country being brought to the brink of ruin and bankruptcy, so that,
when peace was re-established, Sweden’s economic position was in much the
same position as it was at the death of Charles XII. Heavier animals of
improved breeds were not considered suitable in consideration of the then existing
condition of the country, but the import of such animals continued, although
on a small scale.
During the decennium 1830—40, breeding cattle began to be imported in greater
numbers, and thus commenced a new era in the history of Swedish cattle-rearing.
The first steps were taken by a private individual, Alexis Noring, who, after several
years’ study of agriculture in England, succeeded in interesting many prominent
Swedish land-owners in the procuring of better breeding-stock from abroad, prin-
Sivedish Lowland Cattle. (>Prince Jolin?, Arlöv).
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