The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-10-17
AN ICELAND FARM.
A Wo.asn's Notes on One Of the Bee ID
the Island.

A Wona.'s Notes on One Of the Bsss II
the Island.
In approaching an Ioehndic farm COT
tain formaities must be observed. YOU
should not descend from the pa.ny, even
though you know quite we'll that you
are to remain; nor should the packs be
taken of. The proper thing is TO wait
until your guide finds some enc IN au-
thority and proffers request for shell
ter. For a single night this cannot ba
refused, though the farmer may, if he
chooses, decline to keep You for several
days. Permission having been granted.
you can alight and enter the guest rooI,
which is rarely absent, even in the poor.
est farms
Opposite the church stand the house
buildings. Facing the path are Eve
small wooden gables, connected by
thick walls of turf and stone. The GEN.
trail one is the entrance to the main body
of the house, and the others serve as post
Office, guestroom, wool and storeroom,
and for harness and tools. We pass un-
der the low entrance, and through a
long, dark passage. with earth floors
and walls; on either side of this tun-
mel open storerooms for milk and pro-
visions and the eldhus, where cooking.
washing and churning are done This
room is lighted only by hole in the
roof, which serves as chimney for the
central fireplace. Quite at the end OF
the passage the badstofa, o. general
living-room, is usually found, where
men, women and children sleep in open
hunks around the room. But this farm
has separate rooms for the men and
women servants, small kitchen and
chambers overhead for the pastor and
his family; and in addition is coy lit
tie room, half library, half dining-room,
for guests, where I saw bookcase, well
filed with Icelandic sagas, German and
Danish books and TRANSACTIONS from
standard English works.
Above ell is the turfy roof, with its
many curvesand peaks. Little windows
peep out from among the grasses, and
often the earthen walls slope 90 grad
uaily to the ground that it is hard to tell
where the house ends and the tan, or
home grass lands, begin. Indeed, one
story is told of traveller who rode up on
top of house one dark night, and only
discovered his mistake by his horses
putting leg down one of the chimneys.
Damp these houses usually are, but the
temperature is equally like that OF
cave, and they are certainly well
adapted to resist the sudden, fierce
storms which sweep over the country.
This farm is an exceptionally fine one;
you will hardly find . score like 1t in
Iceland. There was an air Of life and
hustle about the place, and the farm
work went on with swing and energy
not often seen in these leisurely Ice
landers. Night and morning 100 sheep
trotted down from their rocky pastures
to be MIXED. and the making of skyr
went on diligently. SlIyr is one OF the
great staples of Icelandic food; II il
made by heating the milk slowly, curd.
ling it with rennet and drawing of the
whey. When done it is stored away in
hogsheads for use during the year.
Ihsd come in busy time for the farm
people; not only was there the skyr and
butter making, but the wool had TO be
cleaned and sent on ponies 70 market,
aad then the haying began. This IL
long two months affair. From the
grandfather TO the babies. all were at
work: first, the tun WAS moved, then
the "out hay" or distant meadows, then
the walls, roofs-every place that st-
forded whisp of hay; for on the scanty
grass crop the livesof the focks depend,
and they are the Icelander's chief de-
pendence. From the wool clothes for
the nenand women ore made. blankets,
harness, ropes. gloves, stockings and
heavy scarfs, while the surplus wool Is
bertered for groceries and other neces-
saries.
The Icelandic pastor is really farmer,
and must work hard on the land which
accompanies every church living. in or
der TO exc out his small stipend Usu'
ally he has three churches in his charge,
the head church and two 'aunexes;
and be holds one MONDAY service IN
each once In three weeks
Everywhere in Iceland I was treated
vita the greatest courtesy and kind
ness, and not once did ] meet with dis
honesty or overcharging of any kind
Sometimes one member Of a PEASANTS
family would speak a little English. and
almost every one understood Danish,
n. which h~,d A. Snna..rriug. The curl