Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-04-05

| abu Inesc DelnS cut away anu uTleu
foe fuel. These marsh lands also
supply peat in great abundance.
which il cut in squares, ground,
dried and sent by cars to the city
markets The farms are curiously
undermined and the ground worked
over by moles and crawfish, their
millions Of little mounds and air
openings giving the land the appear
ance of having been freshly dug over
Here az elsewhere the people are
blowing. There are thousands Of
windmils, used it is said for drainage
by pumping the water into basins
: situated upon high lands, and thence
conducted through earthen pipes into
distant streams. Upon every little
farm are piles of manure for dress
ing the land. Geese and ducks are
seen in families of dozen to fifty,
and small flocks of sheep are herded
in meadows by very old women and
men. The roads wherever seen are
worn or washed and appear as chan
nels cut many feet in depth below
the level, and are always shaded by
trees thickly set on either side, their
tops meeting. There are no new
roads, but these ancient thorough
1ares haze existed perhaps thous-
and years. The women are seen at
held labor, but usually in companies
by themselves, aud not, as one might
reasonably suppose, in company with
the men. The barns and some of
tho houses are matched with straw,
but most of the houses are rooted
with tile made of burnt clay. The
windows are few and small, and but
few chlmncys, the smoke finding its
way out through the roof. The wo-
men all d ess alike, but in style
now a thousand years ago. The men
wear patches upon some kind of
foundation frame work, and caps
made of the skins of beasts, and are
generally barefoot. Where the roads
cross the streams there are always
massive stone bridges covered with
moss. The mistletoo, an evergreen
supposed to derive its support from
the atmosphere, is attached TO the
trees, orchard and forest. The mistle-
toe was All object of worship by the
ancient Druids. There are rather
fine apple, pear and plum orchards
seen through France-the tiees al
ways covered with yellow moss,
which gives them unique appear
ance; and about every other tree
3 wears mistletoe.
. There are but few vineyards in the
5 north Of France, but in the south in
: parts two-thirds of the lands are in
t vines. For u hundred miles but
5 little attention is given to any other
t crops, and | must describe method
q Of supporting the vines upon living
trellises practiced here which could
D bc probably adopted in America
D FIRST, a sugar maple is set and allow.
{. ed TO rise to standard of five feet
D 81 which point the tree is held by
Q removing the limbs every year OF
q two. The vine is set near the base
S OF tho tree, trained up and supported
: upon the head and small branches oil
: maple tee. This method is very
generally practiced, and is preferred
4 TO any other in the south Of France
|, 1t is called the new method, having
5 been introduced only about hun
t dred years ago. Here and north o.
= the Pyrenees are made what are
c known as the light, sour wines blu,
u farther north are made the heavy
& sweet wines-the words heavy anC
8 light having reference to strength OF
a Intoxicating properties. At dinner
Y in the city of Badajos, near the Ply
: renees, | think every one ct the Ia
h bic except myself swallowed bottle
Of wine, the cost ten cents. Am TOLD
d by wine merchant here that wine
n is usually brought in from the coun
2 try and sold at s to "a cents per gal
q Ion, the latter price being paid fol
the wine Of grape highly favored
e but which yields but little juice.
i Toulouse, situated in the south O
d France, is city Of 100000 inhabit
ants, and where there are six rail
. roads centering. Here | lay over 8
: day and night to await through cars
for Spain. Almost this entire coun-
try is in grapes. Labor here, | am
told, is worth two francs per day
commonly, in harvest or vintage
J three and sometimes four francs, by
the month twenty-five to thirty
1 francs-laborers always boarding
D themselves There are patches oil
9 rye, wheat and corn; donkeys as
I usual and small flocks Of sheep herd.
: ed by aged persons. 1t rarely freez.
4 es in these parts, though chilly winds
g often blow from the snow clad Ply,
: reuees. Many trees which shed
t their leaves in our country are quite
, or almost evergreen here. The fig
: olive, lemon pear, peach and apricot
4 grow to perfection, and there are fine
. apple orchards The villages wear
{ a more than usual ancient appearance
: but the people are quite modern ID
A dress and manners Living is very
: cheap, sou or cent going as far a,
1 five cents 10 America for provisions
t and for buying fruit as far as tel
Q cents. A half pint glass of wine
CObLS JuTCc CcuLs, anu u uGLCll apIlHe
or pears two cents.
Bayonne is situated near the Bay Of
Biscay, and here | stopped over an-
other twcnty-four hours rather than
, travel by night through the Pyrenees
7 Bayonne is said to be n city of. 112,-
r GOO. These ancient cities of Europe
: resemble each other as bricks-in
color, form and life. They neither
t die out nor grow larger. But the
9 railroads are imparting to them a
! sort of vitality or new birth, in some
9 respects. Except the railroad de-
pots and shops there are no new
t buildings. In this city there are fam
lies of ancient title, and wealth un-
! known, but to be reckoned by their
S princely manner of living, in palaces,
: the like of which for largeness and
. splonder | have never seen in Amer
! 100 And there are many snch