Part 29 (1/2)

_Stockholm_, the capital of Sweden, is the chief financial and distributing centre of the Scandinavian trade Its railway systeood harbor of its own, it must depend on _Trondhjem_ (Drontheim) for winter traffic, because the Baltic ports are closed by ice three or four months of the year _Kristiania_, the capital of Norway, is the export _, owing to recently co an important port of trade It is convenient to other European ports, and it is rarely closed by ice _Bergen_, _Trondhjem_, and _Hammerfest_ derive a heavy income from their fisheries and likewise fro h farther north than any town in the world, has an open harbor during the winter

=Denricultural state, and almost every square mile of available land is under cultivation Even the sand-dunes have been reclaireater per acre than in any other country, but as only a small area is soheat and flour are irowing fodder for horses and cattle The dairy products, especially butter, are unrivalled elsewhere in Europe The dairy business is largely controlled by a cooperative association of dairymen and farmers Pastures, fodder, cattle, sheds, creameries, and all the processes involved are subject to a en_, the capital, is the financial centre of the kingdom

Commercially it is one of the ned to Baltic ports are landed at this city; here the cargoes break bulk and are again trans-shi+pped to their destination In order to facilitate this forwarding business, the Crown has en a free port Steamshi+p lines connect it with New York, British ports, and the East Indies

A great deal of faroods, and structural machinery are imported from the United States Little, however, is exported to that country, al sold to Great Britain and other populous centres of western Europe _Aalborg_ and _Aarhuus_ are dairy-markets

Greenland and Iceland are colonies of Dendo the shores of these islands

The furs, seal-skins, seal-oil, and eider-down of Greenland are a governtut and isestablishments in the United States Iceland produces sheep, cattle, and fish; these are shi+pped from _Reikiavik_ The Faroe Islands produce but little save wool, feathers, and birds' eggs

=Belgium=--Probably in no other country of Europe has nature done so little and iuion has been made so fertile by artificial means that it yields more wheat per acre than any other country except Denhland in the southeast is naturally unproductive, but it has beco centres of Europe Less than one-twelfth of the area of the state is unproductive

The coast, le harbor for large vessels, and the two navigable rivers, the Scheldt and Meuse, flow into another state before reaching the sea

[Illustration: HOLLAND AND BELGIUM]

The low sand-barrens next the coast have been reclairass that holds in place the sand that forion is now cultivated pasture-land that produces the finest of horses, cattle, and dairy products The dairy products go mainly to London The Flemish horses, like those of the sand-barrens of Gere cities, where heavy draught-horses are required Many of them are sold to the express co the sand-barrens is a belt of land that produces grain and the sugar-beet Flax is an important product, and its cultivation has had anization of the state Before the advent of the cotton industry, woollen and linen were practically the only fibres used in cloth- and cloth- country, and all western Europe depended upon the Fleave the country not only coely responsible for its political independence as well Flax is still an important product, and the linen textiles made in the state are without a superior Much of the flax is grown in the valley of the River Lys

One of the ium, and a few miles south of it are the iron-ore deposits that extend also into Luxe and Germany In addition to these, the zinc-iu centres of Europe A small portion of the coal is exported to France, but e_, _Seraing_, and _Verviers_ are the great centres of the metal industry They were built at the eastern extremity of the coal-field, within easy reach of the iron ores Firear ion, and because of the favorable situation, these products easily compete with the manufactures of Germany and France

_Ghent_ is the chief focal point for the flax product, which is converted into the finest of linen cloth and art fabrics Much of the weaving and spinning machinery employed in Europe is es near by are famous the world over for hand-worked laces

Expensive porcelains, art tiles, glassware, and cheap crockery are made in the line of kilns that reaches almost from one end of the coal-field to the other; these products, moreover, are extensively exported

The railways are owned and operated by the state They are e are lower than in e ocean steaian port for ocean traffic

The city owes its importance to its position One branch of the Scheldt leads toward the Rhine; the other is connected by a canal with the rivers of France; the main stem of the river points toward London It is therefore theof three ways It is the terminal of the steamshi+ps of American, and of various other lines It is also the depot of the Kongo trade shi+p-canals deep enough for coasters and freighters connect _Ghent_, _Bruges_, and _Brussels_ with tide-water These are about to be converted to deep-water shi+p-canals

The foreign coium is much like that of other European states Wheat, meat, maize, cotton, and petroleum are imported mainly fro and Gerht froe there are exported fine lassware, and beet-sugar Fro of the Belgians, are obtained rubber and ivory The rubber is sold mainly to the United States

_Brussels_ is the capital and financial centre On account of the state control of the railways, it is also the directive centre of all the industries pertaining to commerce and transportation

=Holland=--The names Holland and Netherlands mean ”lowland,” and the state itself has a lower surface than any other country of Europe

Nearly half the area is at high-tide level or else below it A large part, ion about the Zuider[71] Sea, has been reclaimed from the sea

In the reclaiven area, and from the basin thus constructed the water is pumped The reclaimed lands, or ”polders,” include not only the sea-bottom, but the coast marshes as well; even the rivers are bordered with levees in order to prevent overflows Windmills are the machinery by which the water is pumped from the polders into the sea In no other part of the world is wind-power so extensively used Almost every acre of the polders is under cultivation, and these lands grow a very large part of the vegetables and flowers consuium

The coast sand-barrens have been converted into pasture-lands that produce draught-horses, beef cattle, and dairy cattle The horses find a ready e European cities; the dairy cattle not needed at ho a heavy purchaser The beef cattle are grown mainly for the markets of London Dutch butter is used far beyond the boundaries of the state, and Edae city of Europe and Aar-beet is extensively cultivated, in spite of the great trade resulting froar industry of the East Indies It is more profitable to import wheat from the United States and rye froar-beet