24 A SPRING AND SUMMER IN LAPLAND. 



roads are excellent, in the spring and autumn 

 bad ; but it is when the frozen snow covers them 

 that the travelling is best. The reader may per- 

 haps wonder how the roads are kept clear of 

 snow ; and it is done after this fashion : As soon 

 as the first snow falls, and the roads are covered 

 pretty deeply, the snow-plough is brought out. 

 This is a kind of triangular machine, built of three 

 boards, a foot deep, 14 feet long, 10 feet wide 

 behind, and coming to a point in front, like the 

 bows of a ducking-punt. Cross-bars extend across 

 the plough, and upon these a lot of peasants 

 perch themselves to give it weight; four or six 

 oxen are yoked to it, and by dragging it back- 

 wards and forwards from one station to another, 

 the loose snow is shovelled up in banks on 

 each side, and, as it always comes on to freeze 

 as soon as the snow-storm is over, an excellent 

 road, level as a bowling-green, is formed through- 

 out the whole country, which stands, without 

 any repairing, till the spring thaw; and if the 

 snow falls again, the snow-plough is again 

 brought into requisition. Each gentleman opens a 

 road from his house to the high road ; and he must 

 be careful not to let the snow fall too deep before 

 he brings out his snow-plough, or he may be 

 snowed in. Roads are set out across all the frozen 

 lakes by bushes stuck in the snow ; gaps are made 



