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SWEATING SYSTEM 188 SWEDEN work in their own houses or small work- shops, and employ others to do it, making a profit for themselves by the difference between the contract prices and the wages they pay their assistants. Laws have been enacted both in England and the United States to regulate the system, and providing penalties for the employ- ment of children and others in over- crowded and ill-ventilated "sweat shops." SWEDEN (Swedish, Sverige), a king- dom of northern Europe comprising with Norway and Lapland the whole of the Scandinavian peninsula, of which it forms the E., S., and most important por- tion; having N. E. Russian Finland; E. and S. the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic; S. W. the Sound, Cattegat, and Skagerrack; and W. and N. Norway, from which it is for the most part di- vided by the great mountain chain of Scandinavia. Length N. to S. 950 miles; average breadth about 190 miles; area 173,035 square miles; pop. (1918) 5,- 813,850. Capital, Stockholm; pop. 408,- 456. Topography — Sweden is divided into three principal regions: Goethland (Gothia) in the S.; Sweden proper, oc- cupying the center; and Norland (by far the largest part), comprising the re- mainder. These three regions are again subdivided into 24 lans, or districts. Sweden is mountainous in the W., but, in general, flat; and it is remarkable that along the whole road from Gotten- burg in the W., to Stockholm in the E., there is not a single acclivity of conse- quence till within a few miles of the latter. Climate — The climate is less severe than might be expected in so high a lati- tude. In Stockholm the average temper- ature throughout the year is 4 degrees higher than at St. Petersburg. The sum- mers are hot, and spring is almost un- known. In the N., snow covers the ground for 5 or 6 months in the year; and the W. coasts are milder and more humid than the E. Rivers — The rivers are numerous. The principal are the Dal and the Klar rising in the mountains bordering on Norway, and flowing into the Gulf of Bothnia and the lake of Wener. The Angerman, the Umea, the Skeleftea, the Pitea, the Lulea, and the Tornea, are in Lapland. Lakes — Nearly one-eighth of the coun- try is covered with lakes. The largest are the Wener, Wetter, and the Malar, all in the S. provinces. In point of size Wener is the third lake in Europe. Forests. — There are extensive forests. More than 3 parts of the country are under timber. The principal trees are fir, birch, with oak, elm, and beech in the more S. parts. Zoology. — The domestic animals are the same as those of Great Britain. The others are hares and foxes, beavers, wolves and, in the cold provinces of the N., bears, the leming and the reindeer. Water fowl are abundant and the mos- quitoes are as troublesome as they are in tropical countries. Agriculture. — Sweden is essentially an agricultural country. About 50 per cent, of the people are engaged in agricultural pursuits. There are about 450,000 farms under cultivation. The area and yield of the principal crops in 1919 was as fol- lows: Wheat, 140,913 hectares, produc- tion 258,792 tons; rye, 372,068 hectares, production 586,689 tons; barley, 166,672 hectares, production 280,678 tons; oats, 712,372 hectares, production 1,111,730 tons; mixed corn, 260,782 hectares, pro- duction 475,749 tons; peas, beans, etc., 44,748 hectares, production 67,756 tons; potatoes, 168,689 hectares, production 2,111,213 tons; sugar beet and fodder roots, 127,650 hectares, production 3,838,- 372 tons; hay, 1,342,878 hectares, pro- duction 4,300,969 tons. There were in 1920 about 720,000 horses and about 2,- 600,000 head of cattle. Industries. — The chief industries are related to the mining and production of minerals and metals, and to lumbering and dairying. In the north are found the chief iron ore mines and important saw- mills. The production of iron and steel is found chiefly in central Sweden, Among specialized products are the man- ufacture of cream separators, lighthouse apparatus, motors and electrical machin- ery. The manufacture of porcelain and glass is also important, as are timber and woodworking industries. Among the principal industries are the following, with the value of output in kroners: Bar iron and steel works, 500,850,759; me- chanical workshops, 496,073,165; iron and steel goods factories, 191,488,782; flour and grain mills, 131,924,056; shoe factories, 112,340,571. There are about 300,000 men, about 60,000 women, about 40,000 boys, and about 15,000 girls em- ployed in the factories of the country. Commerce. — The imports for 1917 were £41,?73,733 and the exports £76,- 465,387. The chief articles of import were minerals, chiefly coal, metal goods and machinery, animals, textile manu- factures, and hair, hides and other ani- mal products. The principal exports were wood, pulp, paper, and paper man- ufactures, metals, timber, metal goods, and minerals. Prior to the World War Germany took the greater part of the exported goods. The second place was