Farmer and Fisherman of Norway (1940s)

in the northernmost part of Europe is the great Scandinavian Peninsula divided by a rugged mountain range on the western side lies Norway more than half of Norway is so rocky and cold but neither trees nor grass will grow although Norway is far to the north warm ocean currents keep its fjords and harbours clear of ice than in the coldest winters in the waters off the Norwegian coast our shallow base is called fishing banks which are some of the world's best fishing ground swimming near the surface in groups or school Arkoff each time the net is hauled in it is natural that the Norwegians should take this rich harvest from the sea to add to what they reach from the last many Norwegian farmers become fishermen in the winter months when the fishing is best and the farmlands are covered with snow while the captain steers the ship his 14 year old son large learns what he can about fishing whenever he has a moment to spare from his many duties each member of the crew including Lars will share in the profits of the seasons fishing while some Norwegians fish the year round Lars and his father go to the banks only from January to April when little or no work can be done on the farm at sea for the first time Lars pines but he hasn't much time to himself for fishermen are hardworking and meals are served several times a day Norwegians catch more fish than they can eat and great quantities of card the paddock and herring are dried or smoked in cans for export to other countries when it's holes are filled the fishing boat heads for port where it's herring will be sold navigation is difficult in the dark and foggy winters lighthouses make it easier for ship captains to guide their vessels up the narrow fjords Norwegians are proud of the seafaring tradition which goes back to their adventurous Viking ancestors the Norse men who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to North America 500 years before Columbus after working as cabin boys and deckhands on fishing boats many young men join the Norwegian Merchant Marine and work on ships which sail to almost all the ports of the world Bergen is Norway's main fishing port and second largest city scores of deep-sea trawlers and hundreds of smaller herring boats from the fjords are tied up at the docks near the Bergen fish market [Music] fish that are not sold as food are sent to factories to be made into oil and fertilizer Mars is often stuffed at the bergen fish piers before but only long enough to unload the herring however this is the last trip of the season and he were left on to explore the city before going back to the farm most Norwegian boys whose homes are on farms or in small villages are not familiar with life in a busy modern city [Music] trains from other parts of Norway bring lumber paper and other wood products to be shipped abroad in exchange in the city Norwegians are reminded of the many fine things for which their countrymen are known all over the world Lars has often heard the choir of brigands old cathedral broadcast his mother's favorite hymns on the radio two Norwegians the music of their great composer Edvard Grieg is as much a part of Norway as the fjords and forests the mountains and lakes and the sea that pounds upon the rocky coast bergen like Norway's capital Oslo has grown with the nation's industry and commerce it has many up-to-date stores filled with all kinds of merchandise much of it manufactured in England France and the United States where the money is made fishing during the winter Lars may buy something that a boy in a distant land helped to make when the fish have all been unloaded and sold Laura's father heads north for the fishing boats homeport a little village on an island near the entrance to a fure after four winter months on the fishing banks the docks are a welcome sight like the captain and Lars most of the fishermen who had been with them during the winter months are farmers who lived nearby and until next when his fishing begins the boat will be tied up while the men and their families work the land next year when Lars makes the trip to the banks he will be old enough to take his place on deck with the fishermen although most of the crew are good friends and neighbors they will have little time to visit with each other during the busy summer along the Norwegian coast road building is difficult and expensive because of the steep mountains hundreds of islands and the rivers and cured to reach home seven miles up the deep yard Lars and his father will travel by Motor Lodge instead of by automobile or bus because there is no other way of getting there fjords are the most characteristic feature of the Norwegian landscape ages ago tremendous masses of ice pushed their way down to the sea scooping out deep valley thousands of years later the ice melted and when the sea flowed in the valleys became cured the only land that can be farmed are the little patches by the cured between the water and the cliff Lars lives with his family on one of these small farms at the foot of a mountain its wooden buildings are more than 200 years old but as with many Norwegian farms along the coast it is served tricity generated by the power of mountain stream nearly every home has a telephone and Lara's mother has already heard that her husband and her son are on their way up the fioor Mars younger sister and brother help their mother get ready for a joyous homecoming they all know that after a long trip at sea Lars and his father are looking forward to a home-cooked meal a neighbor across the fiord telephones to say that the launch is in sight and that the family must hurry if they expect to meet him everyone is slowed down by having to put on winter boots over how stockings for the race across the wet field on hundreds of farms up and down the fjords of Norway the welcoming home of men folks by wives and children is a familiar sight in the early weeks of spring it is not the custom of Norwegians to greet loved ones by a kiss a firm handshake and friendly hug expressed the same affection large mother has prepared the family's favorite meals beef and mutton with potato dumpling Norwegians have hearty appetite and during the long summer days ahead it will not be unusual for the family to eat as many as five meals a day as soon as he can Lars makes a tour of the farm he notices that the winter's ice and snow have curled the old wood shingles and some of these will have to be replaced on the farm there are cows sheep one horse and a herd of goats during the next three or four months Lars family must raise food to feed themselves and their animals throughout the whole year countries in high northern latitudes have long summer days and crops grow quickly signs of spring on farm and hillside mean that the short Norwegian growing season will soon begin melting snow and drenching rain have left the ground soggy not until the sun is dried out the soil can ploughing begin water from snow melting in the mountains races down to the fioor the power of falling water is one of Norway's most valuable natural resources and is called quite cold because it is used instead of black coal to produce electricity on remote farms what if the hard drives the wheels of mills and machinery from pine and spruce wood obtained in the forests which cover the lower slopes of the mountains Laura's father cuts new shingles for repairing the barn roof most Norwegians are good wood workers able to construct anything from a house to a pair of skis the peaks of the highest mountains are covered with snow the year round even in late spring there is enough snow just a short climb from the farm for skiing the favorite sport of all Norway but skiing is more than a sport because the deep snows make travel slow and difficult during the winter most Norwegians learn to ski when they are children as a result the country produces some of the world's best ski jumpers and racers but on the farm there is little time for play now that the growing season has begun the small horse must plot along patiently until every bit of usable land has been prepared for planting the poor soil and the short cruel growing season limit the choice of crops that can be raised potatoes are planted in the field which was used for oats last year my rotate props in this manner farmers strengthen the soil as with farm families everywhere women and girls to the lighter work while the heavier jobs are handled by men and boys each family tries to get all the can out of its few acres and few animals wool gathered from the farmers own sheep is spun into yarn for stockings and sweaters another of the many jobs is mending nets for the late spring salmon fishing in the fjords large little brother and sister go to school by both in only a few minutes but it would take there many hours to make the trip Overland around the head of the fjord children attend the school no more than half the year well besides getting the whole summer off to help on the farm they have a long vacation at Christmas arithmetic and spelling reading and writing are the principal subjects Norwegian children study but each child has also taught the geography of his country and its history from the early days of the Vikings they learned that in nineteen five the people of the Scandinavian Peninsula who had lived together for nearly a hundred years under one king decided peacefully to separate into two countries Norway and Sweden [Music] one Sunday each month when the traveling pastor makes his regular visit families go down the floor to the village church [Music] they put on their best clothes for the occasion each region of Norway has its own traditional design for the national dress while waiting for the services to begin the people have a chance to chat with their neighbors Laura's father tells about the winter's fishing and discusses spring planting and prospects for the summers crops the wooden church typical of thousands throughout the country was built by the congregation out of timber from the nearby forest Norwegians are religious people who worship as plainly as they live when summer bursts forth in its brightest new clothes the day arrives for the children to start rounding up the farm animals Lars father needs every inch of his valuable cropland for potatoes and other vegetables and the grass on the slopes near the farm must be saved for the hay on which his animals will thieve next winter so Lars and his sisters take the sheep the goats and the milk cows to another grazing place for the next four months life will be entirely different with the youngsters and animals away it's an important time in Norwegian farm households when this journey begins the trail makes many twists and turns as it leads away from the farm on their way the young herders pass familiar landmarks and continue up the steep mountainside higher and higher at last the children come in sight of their goal the grassland of the high slopes mountain pastures in Norway are known as seaters long summer days in the seaters are cool and damp and though the soil is even thinner than the earth of the farmer's fields down below there is still plenty of fresh water for the animals to drink and sweet mountain grass and leafy bushes for them to eat [Music] in the middle of the cedar is a small hut where the children spend their nights during the summer from the high seaters farm children get a view of their native land which enables them to understand better the geography lessons they have studied in school farther north the mountains are still covered with snow Lars is luckier than some Norwegian children for his home is less than half a mile away on Saturday nights all the children who can be spared from farm work and from tending herds gather at one of the cedar Hut's for a happy time in the summer daylight lasts late into the night and often at midnight the Sun is still shining making the sky almost as bright as during the day for this reason northern Norway is called the land of the Midnight Sun Norwegians are a cheerful people and there's nothing they like better than a party when everyone has arrived the fun begins someone always brings a musical instrument for Norwegians love music and there is sure to be singing [Applause] [Applause] [Music] Norway is very ruggedness has helped to create a sturdy spirit in its people who have learned by farming the little patches along the fjords to make the best use of their beautiful and mountainous land what the soil fails to give them they have learned to take from the sea thus by farming and fishing the Norwegian people have become masters of their environment in the cool wet country that lies so far to the north [Music]