Agriculture in Norway, though practised from a very remote period, has made little progress, in proportion to the wants of the nation; yct in some districts, the indus try and exertions of the peasantry to overcome the na tural olistacles with which they have to contend, are truly extraordinary, and deservedly successful. The rocky mountains which cover so large a portion of the country, and preclude all sort of tillage; the rapid tor rents which rush down from the heights, sweeping away the produce ancl the soil together ; the short dura tion and vat iable nature of the season favourable to vege tation ; and even the parching heat of the summer sun reflected among the rocks around the valleys; all pre sent the most serious difficulties and discouragements to the labours of the husbandman. Notwithstanding all these obstacles, the inhabitants of Norway, by careful attention, and judicious rnanagement, have done much to overcome their natural disadvantages; and might carry their activity and skill to much greater lengths, were they better protected by the civil regulations of their country. Though personally free, and seldom subjected to any services of vassalage, yet they are greatly harass ed by the burden of military service, and of furnishing conveyances to public functionaries, as well as fettered by restrictions from extending their farms and under takings. A considerable obstruction to agriculture arises from the timber merchants, who buy large tracts of woods from the farmers, who l'eSerVe in these sales the right of pasturage for their cattle, and of cutting timber for their houses and fuel ; but who are not at liberty to build an additional dwelling, and to take in a new piece of ground for cultivation, without leave from the proprietor of the woods, confirmed by the magis trate of the district, declaring that the spot is not fit for tintber. They have recently, however, received consi derable countenance front patriotic societies for the en couragement of agricultute; and, by their own native enterptise, liaxe accomplished many valuable improve ments. ln most places, which are at all favourable for agriculture, are to be seen clean and neatly built farm houses, many of which are two stories high ; gardens around them full of turnips, hops, potatoes and other roots ; fields enclosed with hedges, and carefully clean ed. Often are these establishments observed upon an arid ridge, and crops rising among frightful rocks, or erdant meadows in the bosom of a black forest. Among numerous contrivances to counteract the evils of their climate, they make small hedges behind each other along the declivities, to retard the snow from melting too suddenly, and rushing clown in torrents; and in the dry month of June, when the sunshine is bright and un intet rupted, water is brought front great distances, and distributed over the parched fields of grain; while in harvest they are obliged to place new hurdles among the standing coin, to prevent it from being laid by the heavy winds and rains. Yet often in the end of summer, or during the autumn, a premature frost desttoys the grain in the ear, and disappoints all their hopes. In the south of Norway, agriculture succeeds bcst ; and, in good years, enough of grain is produced in that part of the country to supply its own wants, with the addition of a small overplus fur the use of the northern districts. The best culti‘ated and most productive districts are, Hedemar ken, Hadeland, Toten, Romerigc, and Ringerige, in the government of Christiania ; Vos and Sognedal in that of Bergen; Jederen, Ryfylke, and Nedeness, in that of Christiansand; and Notninedal and lnderkerred in that of Drontheim. Oats ate the most generally cultivated in Norway ; barley and rye hold the next rank ; but wheat, buck-wheat, and peas, are far from being com mon. In the mountainous tracts, the oats and barley are usually sown in the months of April and May, that the harvest may be finished before the arrival of the cold nights of the autumn; but on the coast they arc seldom sown till June. The grain is generally cut about the end of August or beginning of September ; and some times rye, which has been sown in the preceding au tumn, is ripe in the month of July. Potatoes have been generally introduced into cultivation, but do not attaiu a sufficient size (luring the short summer of the couturv. Since their introduction, less attention has been paid to the culture of a species of turnip, which was much used as food. There is great want of mantne in the arable tracts; and the natute of thc soil will not admit of a proper rotation of crops. Clover has been introduced, but is not generally raised. Hemp is grown in some districts, and a little tobacco. It has been an old prac tice in Norwegian husbandry, (though 116W prohibited, unless permission has been procured from the public authorities)) to cut down a few acres of wood, and set fire to the trees, alter which the seed is sown among the ashes, and great returns procured. Next year the re maining trunks, which had not been consumed, are in like manner reduced to ashes, and a new crop sown.
The soil is then left to itself, or usually sends up bushes of birch.
Gardening has made considerable progress in the south, and even in some of the northern provinces. Va rious kinds of pulse, onions, pot-herbs, and different roots, succeed well ; and besides the fruit trees already mentioned, several wealthy proprietors have hot-beds and green-houses.
Otte of the most valuable productions for the sup port of cattle, which is also used as food by the natives, (though some measure supplanted in this view by the potatoe,) is the turnip, called Kale Raby. It is of a yellow colour, has an agreeable flavour even in its raw state, affords a delicious vegetable dish when boil ed for the table, and grows to a very large size. The green leaves of it, which resemble those of a cabbage, are the most profitable part as fodder for the cattle, the outer leaves being taken off so as not to injure the heart, and sprouting again, supply an abundant crop. This turnip i3 sown in good garden soil in tlic spring, and transplanted in the month of June into good soil without manure, four plants being set in every square of three feet. 'Phirty-five English square yards will yield in good years 30 Norway tons, or 20 English quarters of tltis produce.
Every farm has a certain number of married labour ers employed on it in proportion to its extent, who are called house-men, as they receive from the farmer a house and a quantity of land nearly sufficient to main tain a family ; in return for which they are bound to work for him at a low and fixed price, whenever they are called. Except in the neighbourhood of towns or of the coast, a young Norwegian cannot marry till he has a place of this kind open for him, as he could not find employment for more than three or lour months in summer ; and hence there are a much greater num ber of unmarried servants about every house in the country than are needed, and who are waiting- for a house-rnan's place becoming vacant.
The country abounds in excellent pasture, and is bet ter adapted for the rearing of cattle than the culture of grain ; but still considerable difficulties arc experi enced by thc husbandman in this department, and par ticularly in regard to winter provender. The general breed of horses in Norway are small, but well-propor tioned, lively, hardy, and often extremely beautiful. They climb and descend the rocks with surprising ad dress, and display great courage in the combats which they must maintain with the bears and wolves. In or der to preserve their strength and sphit for repelling the attacks of these wild animals, they are never cut in some districts; but, in consequence of this practice, they become very unmanageable, and almost as dan gerous to one another, in their quarrels, as the bears and wolves of the forests. Unless in the stables of the rich proprietors, they seldom) receive any oats as food, and after the pasture of summer is at an end, they are fed chiefly with hay, cut straw, or sometimes even with dried leaves. Frequently they arc never shod; and arc very commonly ridden without saddle or bri dle, and with nothing but a cord fastened to a wooden bit. The horned cattle are generally of a small size; and many of then) are sent to pasture at libeity on thc islands along the coast, where they thrive well, but be come so wild as to require the skill of the hunter to re take them. In the lower districts, they form a part of the farmer's stock in the usual manner; but, in the more elevated tracts, they constitute the principal wealth of the inhabitants. The cows especially become more valuable towards the north, where a very poor animal will cost 20 dollars, while at Drontheim a good one may be procured for 15. In the middle of May, the cows are put out to the meadows, and in June are driven to the mountains, or into the heart of the fo rests, where they remain till the month of August or September. They are watched hy a few of the most active young men, who are provided with well trained dogs for security against the wolves and bears; and a few female servants are accommodated in tcmporary cottages, where they make cheese and butter from the milk.* Sometimes a little hay is cut and stored in some proper repository, till it can be brought down in sledges during the winter season. The cows on their return are pastured in the meadows, till the snow sets in about the middle of October, when they are removed to the stables, and fed with straw and a little hay ; but frequently they are obliged to he contented with buck branches, dried leaves, lichens, sea-weed, reeds, bark of trees, and even fish-heads and fish-bones ground. Nay, in floras, and a few ol the valleys around Dron theim, they are actually supported by eating the dung of the horses, which is collected for the purpose, and sonie times boiled with a little meal into a mess, which fat tens cows, sheep, pigs, and poultry, and the horses them selves.