For the purpose of improving and increasing the sale of farming produce
there have sprung into existence a large number of co-operative dairies, egg-
selling associations, starch factories, and distilling associations, in addition to
which, during the last few years, there have arisen co-operative slaughter-house-
and fruit-selling associations, etc. The Skânska smorexportforeningen (the Skâne
butter export association) works direct for export, and about one-third of the
total amount of butter exported from Sweden passes through its hands.
A considerable number of purchase associations have been formed for the
purpose of the purchase in common of fodder, manure, and other farming
necessaries. First among these associations is the Svenska lantmannens riks-
forbund (the Swedish Farmers' National Association), which was founded in
1905 and has a number of sub-divisions in various parts of the country; the
central associations, in their turn, divide the goods purchased among the local
associations in the country districts. Last year (1913) purchases were made do
a value of almost 8 000 000 kronor.
In addition to the above-mentioned associations, there also exist a number of
smaller societies, which have already been mentioned elsewhere in this work,
such as, th e . Sveriges utsadesfbrening (the Swedish Seed Association), Svenska
mosskulturfôreningen (the Swedish Moor Culture Association), Avelsforeningarna
for svensk ayrshireras och rodbrokig svensk boskap (the Swedish Ayrshire and
Red-ahd-White Swedish Cattle-breeding Associations), Svenska svinavelsfbreningen
(the Swedish Pig-breeding Association), Sveriges allmànna fjaderfaavelsforening
(the Swedish General Poultry-breeding Association), etc., with members in
various parts of the country. Since 1911 the greater number of the more
important farmers’ societies have had their annual meeting during the Agricultural
Week held in Stockholm every March, which thus brings together yearly
the most prominent members of the societies in question and, by means of
discussions and lectures, gives opportunities for the spread of information on
matters of actual, common interest.
Agricultural Meetings.
After the Provincial Agricultural Societies, in the forties, had begpn a revived
activity to awaken an interest in the promotion of agriculture, meetings were
arranged in various parts of the country, where various discussions took place,
and good breeds of cattle and new agricultural machines and implements were
exhibited. The first general agricultural meeting for the whole country was held
in Stockholm in 1846. Since that date, General Swedish Agricultural Meetings
have been very frequent, taking place, at first, every second, then every third,
and, finally, and at present, every fifth year. Money-prizes were awarded for the
first time at the meeting in 1850. At the twentÿrfirst meeting, that held at
Örebro in 1911, there were entered, among other animals, 534 horses, 625 head
of cattle, and 1 682 products of agriculture and implements used in agriculture
and by-industries, together with 531 agricultural machines and implements. At
the meeting, a sum of 79 094 kronor was awarded in prizes, while the expenses
came to 330 000 kronor, of which the State contributed 105 000 kronor. Gradually
the discussions held at these meetings have attracted less and less attention,
and the chief aim of the gatherings is the exhibition of cattle, machinery
etc. The rules for these meetings were approved at the meeting at Norr-
koping in 1906, afterwards receiving the sanction of the Government. — At
certain intervals of time, meetings and exhibitions are held in the various
Leins, too, and meetings on a smaller scale are also organized by the subdivisions
of the Agricultural Societies. Of late years there have been held
special exhibitions of dairy-products, poultry, seed, etc. As a rule, these meetings
have been arranged by one or several Agricultural Societies, but rarely for
the country as a whole.
Agricultural Bookkeeping.
Until the year 1911, the work of promoting the proper keeping of books by
farmers consisted chiefly of the instruction in the subject given at the Agricultural
Schools, both higher and lower. Certain Agricultural Societies — that of
Malmohus Lan, for example — by arranging prize competitions, have endeavoured
to obtain bookkeeping formularies suitable for farmers, especially small ones.
Bookkeeping by the pioneers among these farmers has, too, been not a little promoted
by the regulation appended to the rules for small-farming prize-competitions,
that farms which are entered for these prizes must exhibit books kept in accordance
with the forms approved—of by the Board of Agriculture.
In spite of the . educational work that has been carried on in this branch,
bookkeeping has made but little headway in practical agriculture, as regards the
small or middle-sized farms, at least, and it is only during the last few years
that greater interest in the matter has been noticeable. The work of the cow-
testing societies has certainly led to a considerably increased understanding of
the' value of detailed control in the rural husbandry, but it was the clause in
the fiscal ^legislation of 1910, that taxes should be paid on the net returns of
farms, instead of, as was previously the case, on their assessed value, that created
an increased necessity for, and interest in, the proper keeping of farm books.
Among the steps taken to meet this necessity, there have been instituted in
several Ians “Bookkeeping Bureaus”, founded partly by the Agricultural Societies
and partly by special Bookkeeping Societies. The first Bookkeeping Society was
founded on the initiative of L. Nanneson in the neighbourhood of the People’s
High School of Vilan, in Skane, in 1908. In 1911 this Society was merged in
the Malmohus L'dn’s Agricultural Bookkeeping Society. Similar bookkeeping-bureaus
have been planned or are being established in a large number of other Ians.
The work carried on by the Bookkeeping Society is supported by a State
.grant of 15 kronor yearly for those members the area of whose farms does not
exceed 75 hectares (185 acres), on the condition that a similar grant is made
by the respective Agricultural Societies. The membership of these Bookkeeping
Societies at the beginning of 1913 was: in that of Malmohus Lan, c:a 1 10
members, owning a total area of 6 000 hectares, Stockholm—Uppsala Lan, 20
farms of a total of 2 700 hectares, the Sormland Farmers’ Bookkeeping Society,
45 farms; that of the Kronoberg Lan ca. 25 members, and so on. These bookkeeping
bureaus have before them a great field of labour in the service of
economic agriculture, and it is to be hoped that their endeavours will greatly
.promote the hitherto, all-too-much neglected bookkeeping of the Swedish farming
industry.
5 . AGRICULTURAL LEGISLATION.
The origin,of the Agricultural Legislation still in force in Sweden may
he traced back to the Middle Ages. A ll the land in Sweden was not,
however, equally affected by such enactments, for the lands 'called by
the common name of fee-farms (Sw. fralse) which had come to be exempted