House and Garden 
Vol. IX 
March, 1906 
No. 3 
THE SWISS RIVIERA 
By William Ellis Scull 
A T the eastern end of Lake Geneva, on the 
northern shore of what is called the Petit 
Lac, is a neighborhood much frequented by travelers 
during the “holiday” months, or passed by them on 
their way to Zermatt and other places approached 
from the Rhone valley. Few Americans, however, 
are familiar with its delightfully mild winter climate, 
but rather suppose Switzerland to be a bitterly cold 
place in winter, because in summer the snow is still 
deep on the mountains, and is even added to in |uly 
and August. 
The narrow strip of land from the castle of Chillon 
to Vevey, including Territet, Montreux and Clarens, 
called the Suisse Riviera, is protected from the 
cold winds of the north by the mountains, and is 
tempered on the south by the warm water of the lake, 
and here the lowest temperature in winter is 33 0 with 
an average through the year of 50°. A little snow 
sometimes falls in January and February, but it 
does not rest on the ground. The spring flowers 
appear in February, and it is not rare to see roses 
blooming in the gardens at Christmas. The lake 
never freezes over, which, notwithstanding all is 
said about protection and storage of summer’s sun, 
seems almost a freak of nature. The Penobscot 
Bay, on the coast of Maine, opening as it does into 
the ocean with its salt water, tide of fifteen feet, 
and high waves, sometimes freezes solidly from the 
shores of Long Island to the mainland, a distance of 
four miles, and so solidly that heavy teams cross on 
it; but Lake Geneva, comparatively small, with 
still fresh water, high in latitude as well as high in 
level above the sea, never freezes over. I heard an 
old native say she thought the cold water must all 
keep at the bottom. 
Like many other places, this corner of the earth 
is most delightful in springtime, when the Swiss 
wild flowers, one hears so much of, are at the height 
of their beauty. During the months of May and 
June, the fields are carpeted with flowers, which 
form first one shade and design and then another. 
There are some localities where, without moving 
from one spot, from twenty to thirty different kinds 
can be picked. But, above all, in luxurious beauty 
and beyond description is the narcissus. For nearly 
a month the air is filled with its fragrance. They 
are almost as thick in the fields as those the green¬ 
house gardener plants in his small boxes, for the pur¬ 
pose of economising space under his glass; and for 
which he charges accordingly. One is quite inspired 
by this luxuriant growth, which is Nature’s bountiful 
provision for man’s enjoyment alone. Each year 
CHILLON AND THE DENT DU MIDI 
IO9 
Copyright , 1906 , by The John C. Winston Co. 
