New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-01-05
THE SWISS IN TENNESSEE.


PROSPEROUS sETTLEMENT-AHEAD OF THEIR
SOUTHERN POOR WHITE NEGHBoRs IL clv1IzA-
TIoN-THE ENCOURAGEMENT WHICH THEIR Sue
CESS GIvFs TO EMIGRATION.
IRON A STAFF CORRESPONDENT or THE rRIBUSEl
TRACY CRY Tenn. Dec 23.-AbOut ten years
ago a movement TO establish a Swiss colony on the
Cumberland table-iand was begun with the coun-
tenance of the Swiss Consul-General at Washing
ton A large body of wild land was purchased In
Grundy County. q village was laid out. farms OF a
hundred acres each were mapped or and circulars
sent to Switzerland to attract emigrants. The land
is no better than the surface OF the plateau
indeed, most of the natives hereabouts say IL Is
not so good for the reason that il lies in the pine
belt instead of in the oak openings. However this
may be, the Swiss preferred it because of
the pine timber which promised material for
their houses, and perhaps too, because the
tall trees, with their evergreen crowns, re-
minded them Of their Alpine forests About
seventy families came to take possession OF the
tract Each paid or promised to pay fifty dollars
for one hundred acres--a price that was next 10
nothing. They were very poor, and for the iIrst
two OF three years many OF them came near starry
ing The country about them was little better
than wilderness, and it was almost Impossible TO
get wage-work that would support them uutll they
could clear n few acres aud raise crop. 1hey all
pulled through, however. Nitn sOllc "Ho'So''ND
from the good people OF Sparta and other towns
near the edge of the plateau, and they now have
pretty and prosperous settlement to show for their
toll. They call the place Graetti, and it is worth
seeing as pleasant picture of cosy home-fe in the
midst of the wilderness rs we'll "a demonstration
of what can be made Out OF the plateau lands when
carefully cultivated.
Gruett is reached by ride OF thirteen miles
northward from Tracy City-through the woods all
the way save where. at intervals OF a mile or two,
the road passes the little clearing aud log house of
native. The forest is very well in it's way, and Is
better than these miserable halftilled cornpaches
and the hrftless cherries houses attached to them,
bnt one gets very tired of it after few days travel
on the plateau, and bit OF real civilization u a
welcome sight. Such sight enjoyed Yesterdny
when the fields and houses of the Swiss colony nrst
came in view. How trim and smooth and carefully
TILED the fields looked, and how pretty and COM
Portable the little frame houses, with their environ
ment Of orchards aud vineyards These
poor Swiss immigrants arc nothing but ordi-
nary laborng people, but they are two cen
tures ahead in civilization of their Southern poor
white neighbors. Even their smallest houses have
something about them showing taste-a balcony with
flower pots or window wreathed with vines-and
the larger ones are models of rural comfort. They
have cellars filled with the Winters stores. and
wood-sheds piled high with the Winters fuel-con-
veniehcos seldom found about Southern homes.
The colonists are excellent husbandmen. They can
not endure the sight Of dilapidated fences, or OF
stumps and stones in their fields. They build good
barns and warm stables for their ANIMALS, plough
deep instead Of merely scratching the surface of the
ground rs the natives do save and make careful
use of all their stable-manurc and III
crease its quantity by mixing it with
ffn 4
abundant supply Of vegetables and small fruits.
keen sheep. hogs aud chickens. and in all ways
that industry and thrift open 70 them contrive to
make the best of their situation. They SUPPORT
good school where their childrenaIc taught IN Eng
hsh four DAYS in the week and III German two The
sociabe habits OF their native country are not Tor
gotten. for they have hall for dancing and Urths-
baas. where they meet TO chat and drnk the harm
less wine made from their own grapes. Their num-
bers have not increased much, for the reason that
many of the first settlers were mechanics and FAC
tory operatives who found pioneers life too hard for
them and went away to the cities to work at their
trades 30 that the later arrivals from the old coun-
try have only about made good these losses
stopped for dinner at the house of a worthy old
couplc who came with the first colonsts he pretty
whitedwclng,th the well-kept yard with such signsof
Aower-bods as the Winters fros,s had spared. the
smooth fields aud trim orchard. the neat sitting
room with it, BIG sofa and pictures. all showed how
nuch comfort aud homely beauty could be created
In a few years in the heart OF wilderness b. pa
tient industry. The old lady prepared dinner
which was u banquet 10 one who had been on SHORT
commons Of hce-cake, pork and muddy coffee for
week. There was good light white bread, an ar
ticle which one may travel from Virginia to Texas
without once seeing weil-cooked meat and yogc-
tables, cream, and honey which the bees had made
from the flowers of the tGlip-tree-the white
wood Of our Northern forests. visitor who could
understand German was douby welcome to these
bospitable people and an ho1r went quickly by in
talk about the history of the colony the early srug-
giles Of the setters the soil, the crops, tho making
of cheese after the Swiss fashion, and the ill.,
dustry of wiue-making. After a call nj the colony
store and a drive through the settlement, inter-
ruptcd by frequent halts for chat with farmers by
the roadside who all spoke the harsh Swlss-C'erman
dialect made my last yisit to the farm OF "A man
who has the best vineyard III all GTueth. -Four
acres OF more Furnishing. better trimmed or better
trained vines we could not wish 10 His orchard
of apple pear and cherry trees was almost as at
tractiye and his smooth, well-ienced fields were
delight to the eye. The house was very small, but
neat and pretty. The good wife, surrounded by a
troop of tow-headed children, talked with evil
dent pride of the success the family had won
in their new home, but there was tone OF
homcsckness in her voice when she spoke Of their
old home in the Bernese Overland. Her husband
disappeared in his cellar as was taking my leave,
and returned with an enormous silver cup filled
with red wine. The emp. SO an inscription upon 1t
SAID WAS n prize won at q cantonal shooting match
in Zurich. In answer to my "LebcR sic rccht TohP
the farmer and his wife joined in the pous, old
fashioned German goodbye" Nit GOH|
II NAV be said that these Swiss colonsts have done
nothing remarkablo-that thousands OF emgrants
from the Old world laYe won for themselYes CONF