SUPPLEMENT. 683 



formation of a wealthy society for its manufacture in Fribourg. It is also made in large 

 quantities in Vaud nnd Neufchatel, and tlu> French provinces of the Jura and thcDoubs, 

 where according to some writers it originated about 1750. It is manufactured in much 

 the same way us the Einmenthal, except that a third or more of the cream is removed, 

 whence it is classed as mi-gras. The exportation is mostly to France, Italy, and recently 

 to South America. 



The Spalen, so called from the manner of packing for shipment, is a cheese mi-gras, 

 45 to 55 centimeters in diameter, 8 to 10 centimeters thick, weighing 18 to 23 kilos, and 

 made in a much ruder manner than the Emmenthal and Gruyere. It comes from Un- 

 terwalden, Uri, Schwyz, Lucerne, and the Buruese, Oberland, and is sent to Italy, 

 where it is used grated (fromage dur a raper) with macaroni, rice, polenta, &c. It 

 comes to perfection in two or three years. Another variety made for the Italian market 

 is the Urseren, which comes from the higher pastures of the valley of that name. It 

 resembles the cheeses of Northern Italy, as does the Fonnaggio delta paglia, and the 

 Battelmatt, both produced in the canton of Tessin. Most of these varieties are disagree- 

 able to a palate unaccustomed to them. 



The cheese of the canton of Appenzell, long famous for its fine cattle and excellent 

 fodder, differs in certain qualities from all the other Swiss varieties. In making it the 

 curd is triturated in a brassoir, molded without pressure or salting, and finally treated 

 with a brine of water, wine, lees of white wine, pepper, and salt, which gives it a pun- 

 gent odor and flavor, something between the Swedish and Italian cheeses. The exact 

 formula for the brine is supposed to be a secret, and, as with most of the Swiss cheeses, 

 the processes of manufacture is only to be learned in'its own country, where the tradi- 

 tional methods have been handed down for generations. The Appenzell is a cheese 25 

 to 30 centimeters in diameter, 12 to 15 centimeters thick, weighing 7 or 8 kilos, and is 

 exported to all neighboring countries, but mostly to Suabia. 



Still more remarkable is the ScJmabziger, or green cheese (fromage vert), known, I be- 

 lieve, in the United States, under the corrupt name of sago or sapisago, and which some 

 writers hesitate to class as a cheese. Its manufacture dates back to the ninth or tenth 

 century, and it is still the most famous product of the canton of Claris, which turns out 

 a great many other varieties, mostly mi-rjras and maigre. The peculiarity of the Schnab- 

 ziger is due partly to the method of coagulation by azi instead of rennet, and partly to 

 treatment by the zigerlee (melilotus coerulea), a plant grown for the purpose in Schwyz. 

 In 1869 the exportation amounted to 1,250,000 kilos, valued at 750,000 francs. It is sent 

 ail over the world. 



The foregoing are all export cheeses, principally consumed out of the country. The 

 variety manufactured for home consumption is endless. Some of them are of great ex- 

 cellence, but will not bear transportation. The following may be recommended to the 

 attention of importers in the United States: 



The Gessenay, made in the high pastures about the village of that name in Berne and 

 elsewhere in the Oberland. It is a cream cheese (gras) of fine aromatic flavor, very 

 hard, and keeping well for many years. Its nutritive value is high, and it should be 

 used like the spalen or parmesan, grated with soup, macaroni, &c. A similar cheese is 

 made in the canton of Valais. This is perhaps the richest of all the Swiss varieties, 

 andias a peculiar flavor of its own. The process of manufacture has greatly improved 

 since 1872. Less durable but equally nutritious and palatable, and of the same general 

 character, is the cristallina, made in the valley of Medcls Orisons. 



The VacJicrin is the only soft cheese of large size made in Switzerland. There are 

 two sorts, the first made about Grnyere, and in appearance like the cheese of that name; 

 the other is made in the valleys of the Jura. The latter is 25 to 30 centimeters in. di- 

 ameter, 4 to 6 centimeters thick, and weighs 3 to 5 kilos. It is sold iu drums, and if 

 perfectly mature has an exquisite flavor. The Mont d'Or of France is the same as the 

 Vacherin of the Jura. 



Some of the Swiss papers have rather ridiculed a suggestion in one of my previous 

 reports that a market might be found here for American beer, cheese, and butter. In 

 the matter of cheese, the competition of the imported article would be with none of the 

 foregoing kinds, some of which have little or no sale in the country, and some are in 

 demand for the special qualities, but with the ordinary kinds made everywhere in great 

 abundance for home use and largely taking the place of butter, and even meat. I be- 

 lieve that a good American article that could be put on the market here at 150 franca 

 the kilo would find a sale. 



