50 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Feb. 
in it will not answer, as the lime is readily absorbed by 
the butter. 
To exclude the air more effectually during the pro¬ 
cess of putting down, let a little melted sweet butter be 
run into the cavity, where the bottom head and staves 
come together, then after each layer is completed let 
the dairy woman pass her finger round so as to press the 
butter hard and close against the side. 
MR. IfiJTCHELL’S LETTERS-—NO Xli 
AGRICULTURE AND VINEYARDS OF SWITZERLAND. 
Paris, Nov. 14, 1S45. 
Luther Tucker, Esq. —My last spoke generally 
of the agriculture of Switzerland, from which it is im¬ 
possible for us to take many practical lessons, except 
indeed, this—the best lesson in the world, but which 
most are slow to learn—that however forbidding may 
be the circumstances of a man’s lot, so far as exterior 
things are concerned,—industry and prudence will in 
almost every instance secure him a livelihood. The 
Swiss peasant, some thousand feet above the level of 
the sea, with so little herbage for his winter’s flock 
that he cuts it wi#i a sickle, and carries it home in a 
blanket—with so little grain in his fields, that he with 
his dame and their daughters pick the heads from the 
stalk, and carry it home in their aprons, (a sight I have 
often seen)—liable too, to have his little grain torn up 
by the mountain torrent, or his chalet and his all 
crushed by the avalanche, yet gathers his harvests con¬ 
tentedly, for they are sufficient—nor quarrels with na¬ 
ture—nor, fortunately, once dreams of those rich mea¬ 
dows in our western world, waving with luxuriant 
vegetation, and harvested only by decay. 
Among other products of the country not unworthy 
of mention, if I may judge by the assiduity with which 
the crop was gathered, is the English walnut, as we 
call it, though it is I believe indigenous to Switzerland. 
The leaves and fresh shoots of the white ash are in ma¬ 
ny parts, carefully collected and dried, to help out the 
stock of winter's fodder. A small wild apple is fre¬ 
quently met with in the lower mountains of the canton 
Yallais, of an exceedingly acrid taste. I could not 
learn that any use was made of it. One is astonished to see 
the gentleness of the flocks quartered in the mountains. 
In passing over the Col de JBalme from Martigny to 
Chaumony, I met with a nice flock of their long- 
wooled sheep in the forest. I offered my hand to invite 
them to me. One by one they came up, crowding about 
me—some licking my hands, others smelling at my 
knap-sack, and it was with some difficulty that I could 
rid myself of their favors. I suppose it arises from 
their rarely seeing a person in those solitudes, and 
generally only the shepherd who comes to bring them 
their weekly allowance of salt. I have spoken of the 
minute division of property into small parcels, and each 
one’s quiet possession of his own. It was very observa¬ 
ble at Chamounix, where after harvest, the cows are 
pastured over the valleys, and the cows of each one 
confined to their particular bit of herbage, by merely 
laying down sticks along the line of division. And so 
well instructed seemed the animals in the method, that 
they rarely took a nip outside these slight bounds. In 
such event, however, some little urchin was sure to 
start up from the neighborhood with a switch, and en¬ 
force the rule. At the period of my visit, the inhabi¬ 
tants were busy in harvesting their potato crops. The 
method has been previously described. They were not 
free from disease, and nearly one-third were thrown 
aside at the gathering, the trouble precisely similar to 
what I had observed previous to leaving America. The 
sad failure of the crop in Ireland, and its general fail¬ 
ure throughout Europe, will have received your notice 
before this will meet the eye of your readers. The 
evil can hardly be overrated, and its issues may prove 
most disastrous. Such issues are not unfeared even in 
Switzerland, where the potato in many districts is as 
much the chief aliment as in Ireland. Many a peasant’s 
dinner have I seen made out of potatoes and milk only, 
and many are the regrets which I have heard expressed 
in no unmeaning terms, at the calamitous event. Pro¬ 
jects upon projects here as with you have been proposed 
and exploded, for staying or remedying the evil. 
The country up the Rhone for many miles above 
Lake Geneva, is exceedingly level and fertile—of course 
I speak only of the valley between the mountains. The 
crops are almost as various as in New-England—or¬ 
chards abound, though the fruit is not superior; and 
the wild grass may be seen growing in the meadows to 
the height of 6 or 7 feet. It is useless except for lit¬ 
ter. Near the lake, and upon the edges of the hills,, 
the vine is cultivated with great success. So profitable 
even is every little spot that faces the sun, that cliffs are 
thrown down, and rocks are covered with earth to give 
place for culture. Upon the northern shores of the 
lake the cultivation of the vine is almost exclusive* 
The wine however is not held in high esteem, and the 
enormous rents are due only to the abundance of pro¬ 
duct. The purple grape in all this region, is rarely 
seen, and in the canton of the Yallais it enjoys the patron¬ 
age of the government, having among other marks of 
distinction, a guard appointed to protect it from depre¬ 
dation,—to which I may add, its white neighbors are ex¬ 
posed at the hands of every passer by. I have previously 
spoken in unfavorable terms of the appearance of the Eu¬ 
ropean vineyards—an exception is to be made, however, 
and a very full one, in favor of one at harvest time, loaded 
with rich purple clusters—than which there can be no 
richer sight in the whole vegetable world. The grape® 
are gathered by men, women, and children; for the 
most part gathered into funnel shaped tubs, carried upon 
the backs of the men. 
The methods of pressing are various—some resembling 
strongly our cider presses. I left Switzerland as I entered 
it, by way of Geneva, around which the country is culti¬ 
vated in the best style, and not in a few instances under 
the direction of English landlords. Its hedges are like 
English hedges, and its roads like English roads. The 
tastes of its inhabitants have too a smack of rurality. 
There are public walks shaded with the richest na¬ 
tive trees, or a public garden where the poorest may 
study botany better than in books. When shall we 
have such things? When we are wiser surely; and 
when we are richer, surely—for we shall be richer for 
having them. (It is the steamer's last day, and I am 
hurried.) Truly yours, D. G. Mitchell. 
POTATO FLOUR. 
Potatoes which are unsound may be converted into 
starch, and thus saved from total loss. In England and 
Ireland, where the ravages of the potato disease have 
been seriously injurious, it has been attempted to pre¬ 
serve the valuable properties of the root by extracting 
the farina of flour, by various processes. It is convert¬ 
ed into “ British arrow root,” which is nothing more 
than starch in a nice form. The Farmer’s Magazine 
gives the following as the most perfect process of ob¬ 
taining the flour: 
1. Thoroughly wash the potatoes. 
2. Peel away the skin without cutting off much. 
3. Grate the peeled potatoes finely into a pulp. 
4. Place the pulp on a hair sieve, pour water over it, 
stirring it about well, till the water ceases to pass with 
a milky appearance. 
5. The pulp left on the sieve may be thrown away, 
[or given to animals] and the milky water set aside to 
settle. 
6. When the particles of starch have all settled, ths 
water should be poured off, and fresh water added; tha 
whole stirred up afresh and allowed to settle again. 
7. These washings may be repeated four or five times, 
when the starch will have assumed the character of 
arrow-root, and will have become white as snow, 
whilst the -water will now be perfectly clear. 
8. The pepared flour must be thoroughly dried anc| 
may be kept for any length of time in jars or casks. 
The flour or starch may be dried by being spread on 
