Following classes at the agricultural school in Rütti, he studied
agriculture at the Universities of
Halle and
Leipzig. In 1875, he founded a private Samen-Kontrollstation (seed control station) in Mattenhof bei Bern.
In 1876 he gained his
venia legendi at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (
ETH Zurich), where he taught classes in agricultural-related subjects until 1901. As an agriculturalist he published works on
forage crops, alpine agriculture and
pastoralism. From 1888 to 1899 he issued the
exsiccata series Schweizerische Gräser-Sammlung, first with
Carl Joseph Schröter and later with Albert Volkert.[1]
From 1889 to 1916 he was editor of the Schweizerischen Landwirtschaftlichen Zeitung.[2]
As his career progressed, he developed an interest in
ethnography, making frequent visits to
Valais in order to study the lives and customs of its population.[3]
Selected writings
Die bestern Futterpflanzen : Abbildungen und Beschreibungen derselben nebst ausführlicher Angaben betreffend deren Kultur, ökonom. Werth, Samen-Gewinnung, -Verunreinigungen, -Verfälschung, 1883 (with
Carl Joseph Schröter); translated into English in 1889 - The best forage plants, etc.[4]
Les Mélanges de graines fourragères pour obtenir les plus forts rendements de bonne qualité : étude scientifique et pratique, 1888 (Translated from the German by C. Denaiffe) - Forage seed blends to obtain higher yields, etc.[5][6]