Västerbotten [1]

Västerbotten

The country is fairly flat, composed of sand with some clay, and great worthless mosses cover various parts of it. Because of the sand and the sandy heaths, the country is rather unproductive, though it does produce a fair quantity of milk. Barley is the only cereal; rye is seldom sown and, when it is, it is summer rye.

Before I reached SÖRMJÖLE 2 unruly horses came up from behind – I was riding a mare – and it was nearly the end of me.

I did not see any flowers here, not even a single ‘Oxys’ [Wood Sorrel], my sole cornfort in Ångermanland. There was nothing but ‘Caltha’ [Marsh Marigold], which is the first flower of spring here, and ‘Linagrastis monostachya’ [Hare’s-tail Cotton Grass] and ‘Polystachya’ [Common Cotton Grass] which were beginning to open. ‘Betula nana’ [Dwarf Birch] grew here in great quantities but there was still no sign of catkins or leaves. There was no ‘Fraxinus’ [ash], ‘Acer’ [maple], ‘Tilia’ [lime], ‘Ulmus’ [elm] nor willow in the whole province, far less hazel, oak and beech.

I reached RÖDBӒCK in the evening and spent the night there. There was a strong wind blowing from the north-east and it turned cold towards evening.

24th. Close to Rödbäck there lies a fine big meadow, completely flat were it not for the hundreds of tree-covered grassy banks. All along the road and by the river, which shortly arrives at the town of Umeå, there are mineral springs full of ochre and covered with a silvery scum. I believe that Rödbäck has taken its name from their red sediment. There is a mineral spring flowing from a hill close to Rödbäck that several people have died from drinking (see Rudbeck the Elder, who has given the number of inhabitants as 82 instead of 28).

UMEÅ, quite a little town now, is situated on this river, which provides access for vessels from the sea and has to be crossed by ferry. Umeå has not yet fully recovered from the damage it suffered when it was totally burnt down as a result of enemy bombardment.

The Umeå ferryman – a Charon, grey-haired, bald, muscular etc., in an old grey coat, just as described by Rudbeck.

I called on Provincial Governor Baron Grundel, who is a model of piety and received me most kindly. He showed and told me a variety of interesting things.

He had a number of ‘Loxias’ or ‘conirosores’ [crossbills] in a cage. They ate pine-cones with enormous skill, picking them up in their mouths, holding them with their feet and taking out the seeds with their crossed bills.

In the marsh outside the window I saw a ‘Motacilla flava’ [Blue-headed Wagtail] and ‘Hirundines’ [Swallows]. He had also had ‘Hortulanes’ or snow buntings, which often sell for a ducat in France and can also be got in Skåne. There have been plenty of ruffs this summer.

He showed me fox pelts, some blueish, some black, and some from cross-foxes ie. yellow but going over to black on the shoulders and across the hindquarters. He had recently sent a live wolverine to the king, and he had tamed an otter so well that when holes were cut in the ice to allow it to go back into the lake it did not want to go. Nor would it eat live fish.

In his garden he showed me goosefoot, lettuce, cabbage (white cabbage does not mature easily here though red cabbage does well), ‘Nasturt.’ [Garden Cress], ‘Barbarea’ [Common Wintercress], ‘Cochlear’ [Horse-radish], ‘Portulacca’ [Purslane], ‘Crespinus’ [Barberry], ‘Sambucus’ [Elder], ‘Opulus’ [Guelder rose], ‘Syringa’ [lilac], ‘Cucumis’ [cucumber], spinach, ‘Aquilegia’ [Columbine], ‘Cepa’ [onion], leeks, chives, ‘Carophylli barbat.’ [Sweet William], ‘Grossularia’ [gooseberry], ‘Ribes’ [currant].

Potatoes do not get any bigger than poppies here; tobacco will only produce seed with the greatest of care and in the best years. ‘Phaseolus pumila’ [Dwarf French Bean] grows well but ‘scandens’ [Kidney Bean] never grows. ‘Paba’ [Broad Bean] likewise. ‘Pisum’ [Pea] will not come to maturity. ‘Rosa’ [rose], ‘Malus’ [apple], ‘Pyrus’ [pear] and ‘Prunus’ [plum] do not grow wild but may cultivated without great difficulty. ‘Radicula’ [cress], ‘Sinapi’ [White Mustard], ‘Raphanus rust, et hort.’ [Wild Radish and Garden Radish]. Podless peas excellently.

Piteå: leeks, chives, ‘Barbarea’ [Common Wintercress], ‘Aquilegia’ [Columbine], ‘Ptarmica’ [Sneezewort], ‘Lychnis coron.’ [catchfly]4, ‘Cochlearia’ [Horse-radish], ‘Ribes’ [currant], ‘Grossularia’ [gooseberry], ‘Crespinus’ [Barberry], ‘Rosa sylv.’ [rose]5, ‘Levisticum’ [lovage]; bad for ‘Cerasus’ [cherry], ‘Pomus’ [apple], ‘Prunus’ [plum].

The barley was now beginning to shoot up but there were a few places where it had still not been sown.