Wide stone fence wall

The wide stone fence wall just north of the Utvandrarleden testifies to stone-rich lands. Often stone fenced yards were used to keep animals away from the fields, but just as often it was a way to get rid of excessive amounts of stone. Småland's moraine soils have been stone-rich ever since the ice age, and this is because the ice brought with it quantities of rock material of various sizes that were left lying in the landscape. Apart from the fact that it is difficult to cultivate stony soils where tools get stuck in the ground and that it grows poorly, moraine soils are also worse at holding water and more exposed to drought than other types of soil.