Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1942, Blaðsíða 123

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN FINLAND x 11
I941 there were only about 2000 tractors working with wood
power, or less than a third of the country’s whole stock of trac-
tors. It takes time to become well accustomed to the use of these
tractors, of which the reduced efficiency is already considerable,
and the results were far below those of liquid fuel. In October
certainly some petrol was distributed to the farmers for the
ploughing, but unfortunately it was not fully used owing to the
yearly winter. The actual autumn ploughing could not he started
until October on account of the delayed harvest due to the diffi-
cult lahour situation and the frequent rains, whereas in normal
years a great part of the autumn ploughing is done already during
September. The ploughing was as efficient as possible under the
unfavourable circumstances. The freezing of earth, however, in-
terrupted the work before the amount originally planned was
reached.
According to previous calculations the following areas in hec-
tares should have been ploughed in Finland, excluding the recon-
quered and occupied areas:
Area under cereals 605,000 hectares
Area under potatoes, root-crops and other plants sowed
in Spring-time 105.000 „
Area under hay crop 190.000 „
Total 900.000 hectares
According to the inquiry and estimates made by the Pro-
duction Division of the Ministry of Agriculture the area ploughed
was, however, only about 467,000 hectares, or some 52 % of
the area aimed at. In the reconquered and occupied areas 120—
130,000 hectares should have been ploughed. Though there is no
exact information it is certain that it was in any case less than
10,000 hectares, chiefly because of the lack of hauling power
and labour and of the early frosts.
The decreased sowing area is a serious prohlem in the realisa-
tion of the plant cultivation plan for 1942. If the labour situation
uext Spring, especially the hauling power, allows, some of the
ploughing can be done even then; this, however, cannot much be
depended upon.
Yet spring ploughings cannot be generally recommended even
^ the labour situation is favourable, because experience from