The Prefecture of Luleå [1]

The weather today, yesterday and the day before yesterday has been warm and mostly calm. Indeed, there has been sunshine ever since the 18th. The meadows offered a fine and splendid prospect and everything was pleasing to the eye and health. The summer may he shorter here than anywhere else in the world but I must admit that it is more pleasant. I have never in my life lived more healthily than now.

24th. Midsummer’s Day. The beauty of the countryside in summer and spring is preferable to anything in the world, thanks to the air, water, plants, colours, the songs of praise of its adorants and 600 other things.

In the morning I went out botanising but came upon nothing of interest apart from ‘Arisarium Riv.’ [Bog Arum] and ‘Corallorhiza’ [Coralroot Orchid].

The people told me of a cattle disease that plagues this district severely. If the cattle are flayed while their blood is still warm and if the slightest drop of blood gets on to the skin of those flaying them, the skin turns black, is eaten away and goes as if it had been burned. In some cases the whole hand has swollen up and festered. In one case it even affected someone’s face after blood had come in contact with it. Many people have actually died from this, so no one dares flay the animals and they bury them at once instead. They bathe the animals once a day as a preventative measure and they say that that keeps them immune.

They told me that between 200 and 300 cattle in Torneå die during the summer when they are out to pasture on a marshy area. Could the cause perhaps be ‘Circutaria’? [Fine-leaved Water Drop wort].

They fertilise heathland with soil from bogs and put sand on clay soil.

‘Ledum’ [Labrador Tea] is put among the hay in the bams to drive away mice.

I got silver ore from Nasafjäll here, also the unusual iron ore from Luleå Lappmark that is called Old Man’s Silver: still unprospected, formerly exploited a little, now extracted again -gives a 60 percent yield, 7 miles from Kvikkjokk, called Rutivari.

Also, lead-like mica from the parish of Piteå; it blackens the fingers.

The weather was pleasant, which foretells a good harvest according to the common people.

25th. At the end of the church service on Sunday I left Luleå for Luleå Lappmark. The LULE river.

The salmon is said to spend the winter in the Western Sea and then to ascend gradually up-river each spring to spawn. It starts at the river mouth no earlier than the middle of May and is here by Midsummer etc. I was shown hooks that had been found in them that resemble those in use over in the west.

I found ‘Subularia’ [Awlwort], ‘Melampyrum novum’ [Common Cow-wheat] and ‘Pedicularis alba’ [Marsh Lousewort] in SUNDERBY.

The white moss from the bogs is pulverised for use on children with raw skin.

From a sandbank in the Lule river I got a piece of sandstone containing 3 percent iron.

26th. ‘Gramen paleac.’ [Mountain Melick], ‘Tetrahit’ [Common Hempnettle] called “dån” in Västerbotten, ‘Geranium flore pallide’ [Wood Cranesbill] at Bredåker, ‘Conyza’ [Blue Fleabane], ‘Millefol. purp.’ [Yarrow], ‘Cirsium’ [Melancholy Thistle].