88 
Franco- Siciss Dairy-Farming. 
This archway runs the whole length of the building; : on the 
left-hand side are the kitchen and dwelling-rooms, and on the 
right-hand side the byre, running parallel with the archway : 
beyond the byre are the store-rooms. Occasionally there are 
byres on both sides of the archway, so that the racks can 
be easily filled from outside the byre, that is from the archway, 
without disturbing the animals. 
The hay is brought in from the meadows as soon as it is 
dry enough to bear removal, and is never stacked out in the 
open. The cart is run under the archway, and the hay thrown 
up through an opening (a tedious operation), and densely 
packed in the granary, which consists of the spare space above 
the kitchen and bvre. 
The smallest byre I have seen was capable of containing 
five head of cattle, and a peasant who has that number is con- 
sidered well to do. One who has eight cattle or more is a rich 
man. On the other hand, a peasant who has only one cow or a 
goat is considered poor, and there are peasants who possess no 
cattle at all, in consequence of not having sufficient land whereon 
to feed them. 
The physiography of the country, and to a large extent 
the influence of peasant proprietorship, have made cattle 
raising and milk production the chief business of the in- 
habitants. The object of the peasants and other proprietors 
and cow-keepers in general is to obtain a breed which 
has fair milking qualities combined with a useful frame for 
laying on meat. To this end some Swiss landed proprietors 
have introduced a few bulls of Shorthorn origin, but they find 
that a cow should not possess more than one-fourth of this 
cross. 
The cattle bred by the peasants are considered, native to the 
country, but they are largely leavened by degenerate Sim- 
menthal as well as Fribourg crosses, and poorer Berne and 
Schwyz cattle are not absent. In fact, the cattle are everywhere 
very mixed, and their beauty and quality are exaggerated by the 
peasants. It may fairly be said that the cattle are rather Swiss 
than French. 
Four or five years ago, a Herd-book was established for the 
adjoining Canton de Vaud, and some of the large proprietors 
have gone in for pedigree stock, and have taken great pains 
and care with breeding ; but by the peasantry there is nothing 
done in this respect. 
The establishment of a Herd-book will in time not only 
improve the large proprietors' stock, but also that of the 
peasantry ; and as the peasants together are greater cattle-raisers 
than the gentry, the improvement will be very general. The 
