1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



45 



equal to the best I have ever seen, wood carving 

 superior to any that can be shown in any other 

 country, I presume, a loom in operation weaving 

 beautiful figured ribbons, silks in all stages, from 

 the cocoon to the finished fabric of most beauti- 

 ful quality, linen and woolen cloths of all descrip- 

 tions, and a thousand miscellaneous articles such 

 as we find in our own exhibitions. I remember 

 especially fire-arms of various patterns and elabo- 

 rate finish; the Swiss, by the way, claiming to be 

 the best rifle shots in the world. 



A contrivance for a self-opening and self-clos- 

 ing door we thought worthy of the cutest Yan- 

 kee invention. You walk towards the door, and 

 before you can touch the handle, the door parts 

 in the middle, and moves noiselessly back "into 

 the wall, and when you have passed through, closes 

 as quietly behind you. It is arranged so that 

 your weight on a platform overcomes a counter- 

 poise which keeps the door closed. The agricul- 

 tural implements are of a heavy and clumsy make, 

 but not more so than those in use in England. 



From Berne we went by diligence to Thun, 

 about three hours' ride through a country thor- 

 oughly Swiss. The houses have the widely pro- 

 jecting roof, sometimes extending tAvelve feet be- 

 yond the eaves, and many good two-story houses 

 have the barn under the same roof, and in some 

 instances I notice two good houses and a large 

 barn, all under one large roof. The barn is usual- 

 ly finished with lattice-work, so that you can see 

 the hay, and the roofs are covered with tiles or 

 thatch. The sides of the houses are covered 

 often with shingles cut in semi-circles at the ex- 

 posed end, which gives a very tasteful finish. 



Great attention seems to be given by the Swiss 

 to their manure heaps. Close by every farm 

 house is a large square heap of manure, compos- 

 ed of whatever can be collected about the prem- 

 ises, and carefully laid up with straw like a cider- 

 mill cheese. Whether these people have the or- 

 dinary sense of smell I do not know. At least I 

 am sure they have not a very strong sense of pro- 

 priety, whatever may be their appreciation of 

 convenience; for this mixture of men, women and 

 cattle under the same roof, with fortifications, 

 strong ones, too, of manure heaps at the door, 

 does not indicate great refinement. 



In the summer many of the cows are taken on 

 to the mountains to graze, and you may see, 

 perched up almost to the clouds, small houses 

 occupied by the butter and cheese makers in their 

 season. The grass seems to grow to the very 

 tops of the mountains here, and fields of grain 

 are seen on hill-sides so steep, that it looks from 

 below as if a man could not stand a moment on the 

 declivity. Some ofthe highways are planted with 

 trees and unfenced, while others are fenced with 

 living hedges. We next stopped, after a steam- 



boat sail of an hour, at Interlachen, a sort of 

 nest between the snow-capped hills, where many 

 English and American families spend their sum- 

 mers. We took a carriage here next morning 

 and visited Lauterbrunnen and the Staubbach 

 Falls, or Cascade of Dust, a very small stream 

 which falls some nine hundred feet over a preci- 

 pice, a sort of perpendicular mountain side. The 

 effect is very fine, the water being divided by the 

 fall into fine white spray, although the stream is 

 very small, not larger apparently than might run 

 through a nine inch ring. However, Americans 

 must bear in mind in their travels, that water 

 power is not so abundant abroad as at home, and 

 if Niagaras do not roar, and Ontarios and Supe- 

 riors do not roll in these little countries, we must 

 be satisfied if they make the best use of their 

 means. The common houses in this part o. 

 Switzerland are built in a very singular style. 

 They are constructed of squared timber, say six 

 inches by ten, laid up like a log house, the walls 

 being solid and the timber halved where it cross- 

 es at the corners. The timber is worked smooth 

 and even, presenting a good surface, and the 

 ends are left long towards the eaves and cut into 

 large brackets in very pretty style, to support the 

 roof. Over the principal door, across the whole 

 front, are usually carved, in wood. Inscriptions in 

 large letters, occupying two or more lines. Our 

 guide interpreted some of them, and we found 

 they usually expressed the name of the owner 

 and of the builder, with the date of Erection, and 

 an invocation of God's blessing on the house. 

 Sometimes a short text of Scripture is added. 

 Similar inscriptions I observed on some pieces of 

 valuable furniture, in the form of a proverb, or 

 the like. From Interlachen we took post horses 

 and a guide to Kandersteg, seven hours, nobody 

 here having any idea of miles. We passed round 

 Lake Thun on a very picturesque road, between 

 mountain and lake, and stopped at an inn to rest 

 our horses. The driver went into the house and 

 brought out a large loaf of wheat bread, nearly 

 as large as a water-pail, and cutting it open, gave 

 each of his horses half. I cut a slice off' of one 

 horse's share, and ate it, and found it the 

 same that was furnished us. At Frutigen we 

 stopped an hour. In front of the inn are a foun- 

 tain and several troughs, in a public square. Here 

 the women M'ere at work ; some washing clothes, 

 others preparing vegetables for cooking. One 

 sensible girl brought out a basket of potatoes, 

 and set them under a spout and washed them 

 with a broom. On our way we saw women car- 

 rying liquid manure strapped on to their backs, 

 and applying it to cabbages, and others moving 

 solid manure in the same way. Our guide says 

 that a man's wages here is only about ten cents a 

 day at farm labor, but I am not willing to endorse 



