SWITZERLAND 



5661 



SWITZERLAND 



communities which do not depend even upon 

 rye, but gain their entire subsistence from the 

 alps, or mountain pastures, where they feed 

 their cattle during the short summer months. 

 In the highest of these communities snow com- 

 monly falls in June and the cultivation of corn 

 is impossible. Even a few patches of potatoes 

 are ripened only with difficulty. Though the 

 peasants are nominally owners of their lands, 

 these are always mortgaged, and a landowner is 

 usually paying interest on loans contracted by 

 his father. 



Naturally, these simple people, shut off from 

 the world, with only arduous toil in their lives, 

 know little of what goes on at the other side of 

 their mountains. The women work in the 

 fields with the men; the boys and girls receive 

 only a simple schooling from the village priest, 

 but are early schooled in unceasing labor. In 

 all such villages which are of the Roman 

 Catholic faith quaint little images are set up 

 to invoke the aid of the saint against the ter- 

 rors of avalanche and glacier. In many places 

 earthworks and ridges of stone have been built 

 to divert the direction of the avalanche from 

 the community, should it by chance descend 

 upon them. 



The Swiss guides form a class which interests 

 travelers. These men offer their services as 

 guides for mountain climbers. They are hardy 

 and brave, and at the same time are extremely 

 cautious. This occupation, like that of the 

 peasants, is handed down from father to son, so 

 a climbing party may have among its guides 

 "old Peter" and "young Peter," both experi- 

 enced mountaineers. 



Climate, Plant and Animal Life. The varia- 

 tions in altitude in Switzerland cause corre- 

 sponding variations in climate and in the char- 

 acter of the vegetable life. In the valleys and 

 on the lower mountain slopes olives, beeches, 

 oaks, pines and firs grow. Higher up are the 

 mountain pastures and rhododendrons, and 

 above them come the eternal snows. On the 

 central plain there is an average annual rainfall 

 of thirty-three inches, but in the higher regions 

 the precipitation is much greater. The most 

 remarkable prevailing wind is a hot, dry south- 

 west or south wind called the John, which oc- 

 curs most frequently in spring. On the whole, 

 the climate is healthful, though not particularly 

 favorable to agriculture. 



Game is no longer abundant in Switzerland, 

 though the chamois and ibex are still found 

 high up the mountains. The chief game birds 

 are grouse, partridge and snipe. 



Production and Industries. Over one-fourth 

 of the total area of Switzerland is nonproduc- 

 tive; of the productive area over thirty-five 

 per cent is grass and pasture land, and twenty- 

 nine per cent forested country. The Swiss 

 successfully cultivate rye, oats and potatoes, 

 and nuts, olives and grapes are produced in 

 favorable places along the lakes and on the 

 southern slopes of the mountains, but the great 



THE JUNGFRAU 



One of the famous peaks of the world, and 

 generally regarded as Switzerland's most beauti- 

 ful mountain. It rises over two and a half miles 

 above sea level. 



proportion of the food supplies of the country 

 must be imported. By far the most important 

 agricultural products are cheese and condensed 

 milk. Cattle lead in number and importance 

 among the domestic animals, and goats, reared 

 for their milk, skins and flesh, come next in 

 order. The lakes are important fishing grounds. 



Though hampered by a scarcity of coal and 

 iron, the Swiss have made remarkable progress 

 in manufacturing. Their cotton fabrics are 

 known the world over for their excellent 

 quality, and their machine-made laces and em- 

 broideries are likewise famous. Silk ribbons 

 made by the Swiss are among the best to be 

 had, and Swiss watches, jewelry and music 

 boxes find their way into the markets of all 

 the world. Wood carving, straw plaiting and 

 the manufacture of leather goods, woolen goods 

 and machinery are also important. The chief 

 manufacturing cantons are Zurich, Glarus, Saint 

 Gall, Appenzell, Neuchatel, Basel and Geneva'. 



The discovery that tuberculosis could be 

 cured in dry, cold, clear air, as well as in a 

 southern climate, is one of the factors in the 

 development of Switzerland as a health resort. 

 Sanitariums have been built at several points, 

 and the hot springs and salt and mineral baths 



