‘Sedum aquaticum’ [Water Tillaea] grew abundantly along the roads.
I found a plant in the river and could not tell whether it was ‘Potamog.’ [pondweed], ‘Stellaria’ [Water Starwort] or ‘Aponogeton’ [waterwort].
I arrived in the town of Old Luleå in the evening.
31st. There was dreadful rain and thunder the whole night.
Aug. 1. I had intended to travel to Torneå but heavy rain and a terrible thunderstorm with its crashing and rumbling, fire and lightning kept me shut indoors the whole time.
The dean’s wife (of whose reliability I am certain) told me how she had seen people collect and boil the large ‘Aconitum’ [Northern Wolfsbane] and eat it like cabbage in the Björsjö inn in the parish of Torps in Medelpad. This had terrified her since they use the root for killing flies in Jämtland, but the woman who was cooking it scoffed at the dean’s wife and claimed that this was a plant that really should not be avoided.
They always hunt hare here with the dog working in silence rather than barking as it drives. It is beaten if it barks.
Between HEDEN and Svartlå there were ‘Tubera’ [truffles].
‘Glaux’ [Sea Milkwort], ‘Plantago angust.marit.’ [Sea Plantain] grew by the road; ‘Gr.tritic.marit.’ [Lyme-grass] on a hillock and ‘Angelica tenuifolia’ [Angelica] by the road.
What had been in flower at Umeå was now bearing fruit: in particular, ‘Mesomora’ [Dwarf Cornel], ‘Vaccinium’ [blaeberry etc.], ‘Chamaemorus’ [Cloudberry] and ‘Chamaerubus’ [Stone Bramble] were competing in profusion of fruit. Not much heather.
There were no very prominent hills, and the river banks -which had earlier been rather burnt – were here covered in rowans and pines and were white with reindeer moss.
I reached TÖRE in the evening. The weather was splendid.
2nd. At GRÖTNӒS, which lies right opposite Kalix church, there is a ferry across to the church. The people of the Lule and Torne districts hold a market by the church.
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.
Torneå
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.