The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1898-04-02
BITS OF SWISS LIFE
'VESTIGEs OF THE ROMAN EN-
PRE- IN THE RHONE VALLEY
Training OF the Yine-The Home and WAYS
OF the Mountain Peasant-The Golfer and
Its Csuses-Over an Alpine Pass-Mount
Blanc.
goats, and donkeys dwell together frater-
NJ 1v

| UA44y.
Grape Culture.
1t was q relief to quit the valley and wind
up along the gentle foothills planted down
to grapes, whose fresh leaves and fair formed
clusters already gave promise Of bounti-
ful vintage. The culture Of the vine over here
differs from ours in that the strength Of the
plant Is directed toward the bearing of
| small number OF perfect punches instead of
allowing stalk and leaf growth.
The average American garden contains a
dozen or more grape vines, each one large
! enough to cover an arbor. A beautiful sight!
The sturdy stalk bearing aloft the vigorous
| shoots, covered with great leaves, green above
and white underneath; the tendrils, like tiny
fingers, clasping each slight projection In
spring the small pale blossoms exhale their
delicate perfume, and In autumn the tempt
ing clusters almost convert us into vctaries of
! Bacchus. With willow basket on the arm, we
| reach on tiptoe for the biggest punches or else
part the vines and, where it has been dark
| and sheltered. select the choicest to grace
our table or send in compliment to a friend.
In Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy,
and our own California. the vine is considered
not from poetic, but from purely CONNER
clal point of view. Which is the best way to
obtain the greatest quantity CT marketable
fruit from certain place? This is the cul-
ture: A Held is plowed. narrow trenches
marked of two feet apart, then, without fer
tilizers the grape roots are set out two feet
IN the row. During the first season, as the
plant grows, the trench is gradually refilled
The next March the young plant is cut back to
within three inches o. the ground. The cut
ting back process Is repeated the following
spring. The third year the stalk is allowed
% grow and to bear two or three punches
In the vineyards that sav four feet was
the uniform height of the vines. AS time
goes on the roots grow large and strong
but each year. in March, the main stalk is
again cut off to within four inches Of the
ground, go that the little field has in it many.
many vines bearing in the aggregate many
clusters, but there are but few leaves, the
strength Of the plant being concentrated in
the production of perfect fruit
The greatest care is exercised to keep the
vines free from disease: every so often they,
are spr1nkled with solution or LONDON pu1-
pie. Phyloxera is the plague most dreaded:
If it appears in patch the vines are dug up
root and branch and burned, and for two years
ine ground lies fallCw.
over IN AlpiAc Pass.
There are two passes leading from Mar
t1gny-one to the left to St. Bernard and tho
other to Mont Blanc. We turned to the
right. but as we went up our mountain, We
could look across the narrow valley and Sc:
to good advantage the fir-clad side of the other
mountain, the little clearings, planted down
to potatoes and grain, and the low chale;
WlLQ1 It's OVeEQanSluSz caves anu ltS queer
chimney. Sometimes the smoke comes oul
Of the roof, sometimes out of the side of the
house; the chimney on top is provided with
a cover, raised or lowered by wooden lever,
according to the exigencies of the weather,
the side chimney is simply a f1ue through
which the smoke creeps slowly while Large
part remains behind to color the skin and fade
the eyes.
The Swiss chalet, with its rough walls anl
slate roof, held down by stones. is pictur
esque adjunct to the landscape; we stopped
the carriage and asked permission to visl!
one. Three or four stone steps, then a pas
sage, opening into the kitchen--a long an!
| narrow room, with low ceiling, and fccc
paved with stone, dimly lighted by a single
window. There was hearth, and above ::
funnel-shaped arrangement to carry CT th5
smoke; that it might all be utilized; inside
this funnel were hung hams and Eitches OF
bacon. In two other rooms there were large
! stoves, fed from the kitchen, with flues 10
carry back the smoke to the common vent.
These stoves or furnaces are made from
glacial stone, and, once heated through, re-
! tain and give off warmth throughout tie en-
tire day. To my surprise everything was
| aeat and clean in this humble home; white
coverlet on the bed and the table nicely
secured, and yet the mother had been working
| Ill day long in the field.
Mountain-stde Pictures.
Farther up the mountain are the cream
.ries where each night and morning the milk
Is brought and the cheese made and stored.
Switzerland for flocks and herds! The grass
Is so rich and succulent. water so plentiful,
and the days SO long that the dairy business
cannot help being profitable. 1t begins to get
light at about o'clock in the morning, AMI
The twilight lasts until 10 p. M, so even the
lows are fooled and 1t is easy to persuade them
to be MIXED three times day. In the early
spring the COWS and goats are taken out Of
their winter quarters and driven into the
uplands; month later they go still higher,
and. in late summer, are away up on the high
| sst peaks. the creameries following. In au-
tumn the cattle are brought down to the VII
lagos. and the store Of cheese taken to mar
ket. ~.. rl.0s@
On the mountain side the houses are fa1
apart, but the road is kept in good condi-
| tion lined on either side by trees. We1odc
along Under the spread Of the "nussbaum''
| and the chestnut, while the pear and cherry
held out their luscious fruit within tanta-
lizing distance. At one turn Of the road two
little girls skipped out to meet US, carrying