Småland

This location is mentioned in the following paragraphs:

(§29) There were very few flowers except 'Taraxacum' [Dandelion], which Tournefort confuses with 'Pilosella' [Mouse-ear Hawkweed] even though the reflexed sepals differ. Also, 'Draba caule nudo, longitudine Palmi' [Common Whitlow-grass], which is called the rye flower in Småland since farmers should sow their spring rye as soon as it comes into flower. 'Myosotidem' [Water Forgetmenot], 'Viola arv. et mart.' [Field Pansy and Heath Dog Violet], 'Thlaspi' [Field Pennycress], 'Lithospermum seget'. [Corn Gromwell], 'Cyperoides' [Spring Sedge], 'Juncoides' [Field Woodrush], 'Salix' [willow] and 'Primula' [Cowslip] - though neither here nor elsewhere is it the first flower of spring. Caltha svet. [Marsh Marigold] or Swedish Capers, so called because many people are said to eat it instead of capers. It is not true, however, that it gives colour to butter.

(§369) The parson here had caught powan that were 5 hands in length, which is remarkable. The powan is interesting in that it spawns at Michaelmas at Lycksele church, at Christmas up in the mountains, and step by step at intervals up the river between. Up there the little powan spawns under the ice at Christmas whereas in Småland it spawns at Michaelmas.

(§415) The cradles in Småland hang on a flexible pole and bounce up and down. The Lapps in their hide "kåtor" rock their children on the branch of a tree. Finer folk use a cradle that rocks from side to side, but the people up here use a cradle in which the child rocks from head to foot.

(§480) There I found 'Barba senum' [Mat-grass], an unusual grass that is called Coffee Beard in Småland. In Piteå they call it 'Pig's Bristle'.

(§481) From this grass, as well as from the forests, marshes, fields, meadows, plants and lakes, I could see that this province is very like Småland, and I found quite a lot of plants that do not grow in Uppland, Södermanland, Östergötland or Skåne but do grow in Småland etc.

(§838) Various methods of drying grain:

(§894) Reindeer are not slaughtered in the same way as other animals are, as described in Stockholm, Småland etc. Here the animal is tied with a halter and the Lapp takes his spear and stabs it in the chest behind the shoulder so that the heart is penetrated. As a result of this, all the blood collects within the chest and none runs out. When the animal is skinned, the blood is found to have clotted in the pectoral cavity; they whisk it up later. Rich Lapps do not use the brain but the poor boil it together with blood to make soup. All of them throw away the testicles. The penis is used for pulling sledges.

(§926) I saw a great deal of a particular bur-reed in the river and it had ears here as elsewhere. I have wondered for a long time what species it is, especially as I have not found it described by any botanist even though it grows abundantly both here and in Småland. It is a Sparganium and its leaves get longer and thinner in deep water; they are 1 to 2 fathoms long and float, convex on the upper side, flat on the lower.

(§928) They put their corn up on frames to dry with the ears facing south, which is what they do in Småland too, except that the Smålanders lay one sheaf longways on top of the other whereas here they lay each alternate one crossways. Each believes that his own method enables the wind to blow through better.

(§929) 15 sheaves are put on each frame without any further support in Västerbotten, whereas in Småland they make stacks of no more than 12, with 10 on the frame and 2 at the sides. Because of this the frames in Småland are no bigger than can be filled by hand while the Västerbotten people have to use an implement. This is called a stooking hook and is a round pole with a crosspiece fixed on one side. The point is stuck into the sheaf, which is then lifted up.

(§968) The houses are smoky cottages- called "pörten", in which there is no hearth, only a stove. There is, admittedly, a sort of wooden pipe in the ceiling but it is rarely opened as they think it will be warmer if the smoke goes out of the door. They think they would freeze if they had chimneys - which seems to me to be somewhat erroneous reasoning. Would it not be better to have chimneys and reasonable warmth rather than the heat of a bath-house and blind and weeping eyes, a black and sooty cottage and the necessity of lying on the floor - and even making the beds on the floor - since smoke is blowing all around? It seems likely that just as much cold comes in through the door as through the chimney. They are, in fact, so afraid of losing the heat that they will not risk having windows and have small apertures instead. Thus, like owls, they love the darkness. I looked in through one of these window holes and it was utterly black inside the house although there were both adults and children within. I could see nothing but 2 eyes glowing like a devil in a jug but, when I looked more closely, it was just a jug. I was tempted to classify them as one of those species that give off their own light. I know that when the farmers in Småland light their stoves they get such a heat that they roast in spite of the chimney. Sticks are burnt here, as in Småland. I can never believe that such excessive heat in the winter here, where it is so extremely cold, can be good for the health. The Christmas poles here are 4 feet long.1 There is no bed since they lie on the floor and they usually sleep in the outhouses in summer. There are benches around the inside of the cottages, the table is in the corner, the stove in the opposite corner.

(§973) The stops or latches to hold the doors open or closed are quite different from those used in Småland. There they rest on the floor and move backwards and forwards, here they are fixed to the edge of the door at mid-height and twist around.

(§1099) "Muiku", a fish in lakes near Pyhäjoki. Bishop Terserus, Bishop of Åbo but from Dalama, says that he has seen a fish called "muiku" here and that it is identical with the "blickta" in Lake Siljan. I do not know whether it is identical with the Siljan "blickta" but what I do know is that it is a powan and absolutely identical with the small powan of Småland and Stenbrohult.

(§1120) Birch is used for firewood; there are no candles nor torches indoors since those in use among the Finns and Finnish Lapps only smoulder smokily. They cut the hay with a scythe as in Uppland. Treat the corn as in Småland; in dry years it dries better on stands, in wet years on frames. Hay is spread out and turned, then brought in, without being stacked, on a large waggon.

(§1145) It was so hot when I went into a cabin that my nose could have been burnt off, yet the people there were perfectly happy and the boys were even jumping around on the benches in fur-coats. The stove is built like those in Småland bath-houses but there were stones on top of it in the form of a wall up to the height of a man. The old women spin yarn on their naked thighs and are naked to the navel - indeed, often completely naked.

Practical data about this location:

  • Written: Småland



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