Torneå

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.

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.

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.

There was red loam on the heath near Sangis, and reindeer moss completely covered the ground in the dry, burnt-off forest.

I arrived at SANGIS in the evening and that is where Swedish ceased to be spoken. The weather was beautiful.

3rd. At sunrise in the morning the ground was all white with frost, for winter was already forcing an entry and spending his first night with sweet Hora. I did not see her suffering greatly other than that Dracontium [Bog Arum] turned a little paler.

The last plants to flower here are ‘Erka’ [Heather], ‘Persicaria fl. rubro mitis’ [Redshank] and ‘Hierac. preamorsum’ [Autumn Hawkbit].

On leaving Sangis I also left my mother tongue, for in SAIVIS there were only Finns and I could not understand them.

Here I found milk-parsley, ‘Umbella prolifera’.

The mousetraps here are like squirrel traps.

I crossed 3 ferries between Torneå and Saivis.

At 3 o’clock I arrived in Torneå.

4th. A reindeer can be driven 80 or even up to 100 miles in a day, but then it is usually slaughtered and eaten immediately since it would normally die anyway.

Lapps – the name derives from patched clothes, because their clothes are usually patched.