186 FORESTRY OF NORWAY. 
door of which was always carefully closed, skimmed off the 
cream which had been formed on the milk of previous days, 
and putting it in the churn, they began to make the butter. 
Others took the empty vessels to the river, and rubbed 
them inside and outside with fine sand from the shore, and 
afterwards with juniper branches, finishing by a thorough 
rinsing in the stream. The pails are generally made. of 
white pine, and are clean and spotless. Cheese day also 
proves a busy time, and its work is done in the same 
thorough manner. The room where the milk is kept was 
marvellously neat; about 150 pails filled with it were on 
the shelves, each being about twenty inches in diameter 
and five inches deep, made of white pine, with wooden 
hoops; the milking-pails stood on the floor ready to be used. 
Several barrels for the churned milk and butter-milk, and 
vessels for the butter, were also arranged in order. 
‘On Sunday, after their morning milking, every one 
commenced his or her toilet, as if getting ready to go to 
church, putting on clean linen, and all their holiday clothes 
and shoes. ‘lhe girls and their mother wore dresses of 
thick dark-bluish woollen material, homespun, with cor- 
sages of the same colour. The bottom of the skirt was 
ornamented with a wide green band all around. The cor- 
sage was open, and showed a handkerchief embroidered 
with gold. Each girl wore a close-fitting little cap, which 
seemed to be made only to hide the ends of her thick 
luxuriant hair. No work was done, except what was 
absolutely necessary ; some of the family read the Bible 
and sung a few hymns of praise. After dinner visiting 
took place from saeter to saeter, and the afternoon was 
spent in the social fashion customary to the country.’ 
Du Chaillu went on such a visit with one of the maidens. 
‘Early on Monday morning,’ says he, ‘ Everybody was up; 
the horses were ready for the return of Nels to the farm ; 
the pack-saddles were put on over two thicknesses of 
woollen blanket; the butter, cheese, and milk for the 
-working people on the farm were not forgotten ; the father, 
in a quiet way, without kissing, said good-bye to all his 
