Economic and financial section > Problem of nutrition

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The averages work out at 1,271,000 tons and 1,659,000 tons respectively, or about 160
and 200 lbs. per head in the two periods, but it will be noticed that between 60 and 70 %
of the total is made up of pumpkins, melons and watermelons.
14. — SWEDEN.
Milk.
The estimated numbers of cows (of all kinds) in Sweden in recent years have been as
follows:—
1925 1926 (a) 1927 1928 1929 , 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934
Cows (thousands) ... — — I»874 I»865 — 2,033 2,037 1,925 2,039 1,931
(a) Census.
Figures for 1927 and 1932 were obtained from a census in September; for other years esti¬
mates were made in June; the result of the 1932 census, which proved to be 118,000 below the
estimate for that year (though there was a difference of three months in the dates) suggests
that estimates in other years may also be too high. The 1930-31 estimates were made before
the result of the 1932 census was available and actually there was so small a difference between
the estimates for the four years 1930-33 that it would seem reasonable to adopt a uniform figure
of 1,925,000 throughout and also in 1934.
Output of milk per cow can only be estimated very approximately. For tested herds the
yield is as high as 770 gallons annually, having increased from about 710 in 1925-29. But
this average is far too large for the whole of the herds. A more probable figure may be deduced
from the numbers of cows belonging to members of cooperative dairy associations and the
quantity of milk and cream supplied to the cooperative dairies. This averaged about 490
gallons per cow from 1926 to 1928 and 510 gallons in 1932 and 1933. The total milk delivered
includes some milk from non-members but, on the other hand, not all the milk produced is
delivered to the creamery. On the whole, the averages might be taken as calculated at
490 and 510 gallons respectively. The average of 490 gallons for 1926-28 compares well with
the 480 gallons found as the average yield per cow in 1924-28 in an enquiry conducted by the
Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture.
On this basis, milk production would have been about 920 million gallons in 1927 and 1928
and about 980 million gallons annually from 1930 to 1934.
On the basis of 2 % gallons of milk to 1 lb. of butter (external trade in milk and cheese
is insignificant), Sweden’s butter exports would have absorbed about 98 million gallons in 1927
and 1928, 147 million gallons in 1930, 107 million in 1931, 74 million in 1932 and 94 million
in 1933 and consumption of milk in all its forms (liquid, butter, cheese and cream) would on
this basis be about 135 gallons per head annually in 1923-28, 130 gallons in 1930, 142 in 1931,
146 in 1932 and 143 in I933- The figures, however, are too high as no allowance has been
made for milk fed to stock.
The total quantity of milk and cream (as milk) delivered to creameries and the quantity
of butter and cheese made are given in Table I.
Information received from the Milk Propaganda organisation in Stockholm suggests a
probable consumption of milk of 1 litre a day for farmers and farm workers and 0.65 litres for
the remainder of the population, giving an average for the whole country of about 63 gallons
per head, while butter consumption is estimated at 9 kilos (19.8 lb.) per head, i. e. a total milk
equivalent of 113 gallons per head, excluding consumption in the form of cheese.