Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-11-19
AN ICEL&No FARM.
A woman's Notes oil one of the Best II
the leland.

A woman's Notes nH nn- of the Best In
the leland.
In approaching an lr"landio farm
certain formalitloS must be observed.
You should not descend from tho
pony, oven though you know quite
we'll that you are to remain, nor
should tho packs he taken off. The
proper thing is to wait until your
guide finds some one in authority
and proffors request for shelter.
For a single night this cannot DO re-
fused, though the farmer may, if he
chooses, decline to keep you for Sow
eral days. Permission having been
granted, you can alight and enter
the guestroOm, which is rarely alb
sent even i'll tho poorest farms.
Opposite tho church stand the
house buildings. Facing the path
are five small wooden gables, con-
neoted by thick walls of turf and
stone. The central one is the en-
trance to tho main body of the
house, and the others serve as post
office, gueStroom, wool and store
rooms and for harness and tools. We
pass under the low entrance and
through long, dark passage, with
earth doors and walls. On either side
of this tunnel open storerooms for
milk and provisions and the eldhus,
where cooking, washing and ohurn-
ing are dono. This room is lighted
only by a holo in the roof, which
serves also as chimney for the
central fireplace. Quite at the end
of the passage the 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 n cozy little room, half
library, half dining room, for guests,
where l saw bookcase we'll filled
with 1Celandic sagas, German and
Danish books and translations from
standard English works.
Above ali is the turfy roof, with
its many curves and peaks. Little
windows peep out from among the
grasses, and often the earthen walls
slope so gradually to the ground
that it is hard to tell where the
house ends and the tun or homo
grass lands begin. Indeed one story
is told of n traveller who rode up on
top of a house one dark night and
only discovered his mistake by his
horse putting leg down one of the
ohimneys. Damp these houses usual
ly arc, but the temperature is equa-
bic like that of cave, and they are
certainly we'll adapted to resist the
sudden, fierce storms which sweep
over the country.
This farm is an exceptionally fine
one; you will hardly find a score
like it in Iceland. There was an air
of life and hustle about the place,
| and the farm work went on with a
swing and energy not often seen in
-.
and morning l20 sheep trotted down
from their rocky pastures to be
MIXED, and the making of skyr
wont on diligently. Skyr is one of
the great staples of Icelandic food.
1t is mado by ho"tiNg the milk slow
ly, curdlng it with rennet and
drawing OFF the whey. When done,
it is stored away in hogsheads for
use during tho year.
had come III 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 to market, and then the hay
| ing began. This is long two
months affair. From the GRANDPA
ther to the babies, all were at work;
| first the tun was moved, then the
"out hay, or distant m eadows, then
the walls, roofs-evory place that
afforded wisp of hay; for on the
scanty grass crop the lives of the
focks depend, and they are the Ice
lander's chief dependence. From
the wool clothes for men and women
are made, blankets, harness, ropes,
gloves, stockings and heavy scarfs,
while the surplus wool is bartered
for groceries and other necessaries.
The Icelandic pastor is really q
farmer, and must work hard on the
land which accompanies every
church living in order to exc out
his small stipend. Usually he has
three churches in his charge, the
head church and two "annexes, "
and he holds one MONDAY service in
each once in three weeks.-New
York IndeDendent