Mesnerstall (Heinzen)

And just as the principle of food stall was already part of their immigration, one may assume that they also brought the Heinzen. Since these occur in many Walserorten, we conclude on a common root. For centuries the farmers mowed the grass with the scythe, on the steep mountain meadows this work was very exhausting. As the wet grass on the ground can barely dry, Heinzen was set up and hung the grass over the crossbars in bunches. The hay obtained by this type of air drying a good quality, in bad weather, there was little loss of quality. If the Heinzen are hanged in the meadows with hay, they look like a small army of shaggy brownies, which probably gave them their name. Especially in the rainy north alpine valleys, the Heinzen were helpful in the hay drying. By autumn at the latest, the Heinzen were hung nicely on special racks, the Heinzen slats, under the canopies of the Walser stables. There is hardly a stable in the Walsertal where the Heinzen are missing. That debts were formerly not only in money, but also by Heinzen could be removed, is in old Alpbüchern. More recently, modern machines have been used for the haymaking. A hay drying plant with blower belongs to the inventory of every Walser farmer. The Heinzen are therefore almost no longer used.