Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1866-12-14
The Switzerland of America and
the Switzerland of Europe.

and New Hampshire contained six /
hundred and thirty thousand inhabi-
tants, while Switzerland contained |
two million five hundred and thirty t
thousand. OF these about five hun t
dred thousand are III the Alpine Sec
ton, leaving two millions for a terri
tory about as large as the western
half of Vermont. How do they live?
What is their occupation ? Are they
progressive or stationary? Is it pos
sible for New England to maintain
population equally dense? These
are practical questions deserving at
tention, for it has been said that New
England has exceeded the limit Of az
ricuIturaI production; that she can
only exist by importing bread from
the West, and giving manufactured ar
ticles in return. The question of eli
mate comes first. New England has
hot, short summers and cold winters,
with from three to five months Of
snow on her hills. Switzerland has
longer, cooler summers, and warmer
winters Here, as | write, on this I'd
day of October, | can look from my
window upon the roses in bloom in
the garden, and upon the Alps white
with snow No frost has yet touched
with cold fingers the vines upon the
surrounding hills, but it is not eli
mate alone which enables the Swiss
to produce two crops Of grass yearly
on their moving lands, buta husband
ny such as the New England farmers
know nothing Of In climate, Swift
zerIand has the advantage, but the
hills of Vermont are naturally as fer
tile as those Of this Republic; they
are Of the same geologic formation
dark gray limestone.
The next question is that of labor,
which in Vermont is worth a dollar
or dollar and quarter day, while
here it ranges from ten to twenty
cents. No woman of Vermont yields
the hoe all day long by the side OF
her husband, but here the wife per
forms quite as much labor in the
fields as the head of the family. In
population so dense, every rod o.
arabic land is under cultivation. But
/ wish that the farmers of New Eng
land could have u Swiss pillow on eX
hiJition at their agricultural fairs.
know nothing which could be more at
tractive. Riding across the cOuntr,
last week. l laid my hands on one o
them and saw it in operation. An(
such a plow! The Swiss plowshare
will not be beaten into swords whcl
the Millennium comes round and tn,
reason why will shortly be apparent
The instrument is or this wise: {
piece OF oak .jOist, three feet long ant
three inches square, forms the foot
one end Of the timber is scarfcd, anC
upon the scarf a thin piece of iron i
nailed, which forms the point of tin
pillow. Two uprights framed into tn
foot hold the beam; straight board
without iron, without line of curva
ture, projecting from one of the up
rights, turns the turrOW, while tW
handles complete the instrument
which simply scratches the ground
| measured the furrow, which wa
about five inches wide and three deer
noticed III one field where the sui
soil was hard, that men and wOme
followed the pillow with hoes to deel
en- the furrow! | dare say that you
readers will be astonished to lear
that the largest part Of the land
never touched even by this rude i
strument, but is turned solely by tt
hoe.
There are thousands of acres whi'
might be plowed, which are as tr'
from stone. and other obstacles, al
as easy of cultivation as the magni
cent meadow lands Of the Connecticl
but which are dug over every seasc
by men and women, with great clu
sy hoes, which contain more weight
metal than the ploWS
There is a remarkable discrepan
in the industry and mechanics of Sw
zerland, for in railroad engineerir
in the construction of locomotives,
architecture, in the manufacture
watches they are unsurpassed; |
in mill machinery, in agricultural i
pliments, carriages, in labor-savi
machines, they are away back in t
18th century.
"Why do you not pillow your la
instead of digging it over?" | ask
of one of the people
ooh, labor is very cheap" was
reply.
The multitude have no concept
Of the true principle which underl
economy-the mind is more power
than muscle. So ignorant are they
this principle that they use the hoe
stead of the pillow; themselves inste
OF horses. They transport eve
thing possible on their backs inste
of using carts. There wheeled We
cles are mainly handcarts.
But in the utilizing of manures a
Of fertilizers, New England men {
come here and take lessons. Tn
hills and valleys Of western Swift
land are not green the year arou
because the winters are milder IL
at Boston-not because they are
turally more tertile-but because
tilizers are saved instead of vast
and because they are applied in
best manner to the growing crop.
really believe that if the husban
of New England was equal to tina
Switzerland in the matter of say
AID applying fertilizers that the 81
Of Vermont might sustain a pop
ton oil millions of inhabitants.
o, We farmers of the Green Nc
taius, who are beating the world
sheep husbandry, just come over
and see how the people of Swift