The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-04-01
'MShe 1satnt.
GLIMPSES OF CONTINENTAL AGRI-
CULTURE.
AN ESSAY READ BEFORE ADVANCE
GRANGE, COLORA, MD.


fear l was too hasty when con-
sented, at our last meeting, to your pro-
posal that l should tell the Grange what
| know about farming on the continent
of Europe. said then, however, and
will now repeat for the benefit of any
who were not present at that meeting,
that my observations were limited, and
| never made studied investigation Of
any one branch of what may be or is
included under the general term Of
farming
| was but boy when went abroad,
and most of my time was devoted to the
acquisition of languages, but iii my ram
bles and travels | did happen upon
some things that interested me; but |
very much doubt whether the observa-
tons and recollections Of a school-boy
will interest, or even for few moments
entertain, so many weather-beaten far
mers, whose whitened locks show that
school days and the recollections of
them have been forgotten during the
hard struggle which is the portion Of
those who till the soil for living, and
whose experience i'll all matters apper
tanning to farming is so much greater
than mine, that would not presume to
instruct even if my observations had
been more extended. If | succeed,
however, for few minutes in helping
them to while away their time, my
effort will meet with all the success it
deserves, and may, | hope, be the means
of encouraging others of our Grange to
contribute their share towards making
our meetings, if not more instructive, at
least more sociable and entertaining.
But let me hope, however, that this
limited effort Of mine, and that more
thoughtful one which you read before
the Grange at its last meeting, may be
followed by efforts that will result in
some permanent good not only to us as
Grange but as farmers and citizens Of
our splendid country.
As | lived some months in Switzer-
land, France and Germany, and travelled
for short time in Italy and Scandi-
navia, think it best to commence with
the country where | first resided, and
tell YOU OF each in the order in which
visited them. And first comes SwitZer-
land, which, if for no other reason,
should be dear to all Americans from
the fact that it is a republic, free and
liberal as our own. The greater por-
ton of its territory is high snow-capped
mountains, whose slopes are grassy and
whose sides are pierced by narrow, fer
tile valleys, whose verdant fields and
rich meadows are covered with the most
nutritious natural grasses, on which
numerous fine cows are kept; and in
the mountains, where the grass grows i'll
small patches, and among the rocks in
accessible to COWS, large numbers of
goats feed, whose milk is made into an
excellent cheese. The milk of the cows
is turned into both butter and cheese,
and the dairy products are the chief
farm products of Switzerland. Honey
is also produced in large quantities, and
of the best quality and flavor, for the
bees pasture on the wild flowers which
cover the mountains and valleys.
The Swiss peasants-we would call
them tarmers-are very industrious,
saving and thrifty, and turn everything
to a good account. As an instance OF
this, | will mention that at Chamouni, a
village situated i'll narrow, mountain
GUS valley at the foot of Mont Blanc,
the people are in the habit in the month
Of July, when the weather permits, OF
sending a large number Of heifers across
a glacier called the Mer de Glace which
is vast body of ice filling narrow
valley, and over whose surface the
heifers are driven with great difficulty
and at no little risk. Each heifer is
accompanied by her owner; in fact, the
day Of their departure is kind Of Holt
day, on which all the village turns out
to witness the spectacle. After crossing
the glacier the heifers are driven to
some fine grass land, where they are
left in charge Of one man, who remains
with them three months, or until winter
sets in, being visited at the end of each
month by one Of the owners of the
heiters, who brings him supply of
bread and cheese, his only diet He
passes his time in knitting stockings
and watching his charge.
Many OF the mountain sides are COW
cred with fruitful vineyards, whose
grapes make excellent wines and are Il
source of income to the inhabitants. The
Swiss peasant turns everything to ac-
count, and instead of allowing night
soil to go to waste, he uses it on his
crops, and, moreover, he buys it from
the householders of villages. In some
parts of the country the life of the pea
SAINT is very hard, and his life often in
danger from avalanches or land-slides
In some Of the mountain valleys the
winters are very severe, and in order to
have everything at hand, and to avoid
exposure to the severe atmosphere, sta
bles for horses and cattle are built under
the houses Of their owners or, in other
words, what we use as cellar is there
high lower story and used for stable.
Thus the kline and their owners live
under the same roof, and the heat from
the cellar helps to keep the house warm
While at school in Switzerland Il
companion and | one day learned to
our cost the summary manner with
which trespassers are dealt We had
been playing in the meadow attached to
our school. The grass was of course
worn short by the running to and fro of
nearly hundred boys. In an adjacent
field the grass grew high, thick and
fragrant, and as we were much fatigued
the temptation to lie down and rest in
the nice long grass, was more than we
could resist, and in a moment we were
over the fence and stretched at full
length in the dense grass, which almost
covered us. We rested undisturbed and
returned to our own meadow quite re-
freshed, never dreaming we had done
any damage. The next morning we
were sent for to meet our principal in
his office. As such message always
meant business, we started with our
hearts in our mouths, wondering what
was up, and our forebodings were not a