40 [Assembly 



Nampto barley, a native of Asia, seems now to be a great favor- 

 ite of the farmers; it requires a rich and mellow soil, and de- 

 mands less than twelve weeks after sowing to come to maturity. 

 It should be sown in rows or drills, and never broadcast; should 

 this be done the yield is very small. Its stalls is succulent, and 

 gives fine food for milch cows. There is still another variety call- 

 ed the Little Barley; this plant is very tender, and is easy nipped 

 by frost. As a green ibdder it has few superiors, particularly 

 for early green horse feed. 



Oats are more generally cultivated than any cereal in the Can- 

 tons. The Tartary oat holds the first rank; it grows in poor foul 

 land, where other grain fails. The potato oat is the best variety 

 raised, and enjoys a high reputation. There is a black oat cul- 

 tivated in the mountainous regions, but teamsters avoid it, and 

 say when given to horses it provokes heat. On the w^hole as a 

 crop it is badly managed, and in favorable years it will not pro- 

 duce on an average over 40 bushels an acre. Switzerland having 

 a great transit trade requires a heavy consumption of grain for 

 horse and mule keeping; it is a great pity that the difl'erent Can- 

 tons do not take measures to improve the culture of this valuable 

 cereal. 



Maize is grown in the rich valley of Loanfino, in Tessin, the 

 most southern Canton in the Confederation, and patches may be 

 seen in Vaud, near Payerune, and in the valley of the Rhine. 

 The Indian corn is not grown here exclusively for the ripe grain, 

 but its young stems are given to cattle for fodder. It is a very 

 inferior plant to what we see in the valley of the Mississippi. 

 Its stalks seldom reach more than five feet, and the Swiss ma- 

 tron can give you no delicate and sweet roll or delicious Johnny 

 cakes. 



Millet is cultivated in some parts of the country. The Polish 

 and common^ or German, grow north of the Alps, and the Indian 

 that requires more heat, in Tessin. The poorer classes employ it 

 as a substitute for rice. 



Among leguminous plants cultivated as food for man or cattle, 

 peas and beans are well appreciated by gardeners and farmers 



