Agricultural History Review, Volume 56 Part 1 (2008), pp. 48–65

This article shows that peatland cultivation was, in an initial phase from the 1880s to the 1930s, an important catalyst for the adoption of fertilizers in Sweden. The most important agency promoting this development was the Mosskulturföreningen, the Swedish Peatland Cultivation Association, established in 1886. Through its scientific work, sponsorship of field trails, and dissemination of knowledge, the Mosskulturföreningen resulted in fertilizers being made available over a large geographical area and gaining acceptance amongst farmers. The take up of fertilizers involved not only the adoption of new techniques but also new ways of thinking. 

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