The cultivated fields belonging to a group of buildings are no longer worked with the old wooden ploughs as these implements are too valuable to be used today. The corn is cut by hand using a scythe, loaded onto the cart with a pitchfork and later threshed with a flail on the barn floor. Old varieties of fruit trees, which no longer produce much fruit, are left standing. It is our aim to cultivate or to plant new ones, if there are enough such saplings or trees available. At present, there are nearly fifty different varieties of fruit trees in the Museum. Of course, the existing vineyards are also tended according to the traditional and standard practice in their native region.

The Museum grounds were once owned by farmers from the surrounding villages. They had often acquired the plots from their ancestors and sometimes worked them using more modern methods and machinery. That, obviously, had an effect on the vegetation. Therefore it will take a while till the fields are restored to their original state. At the beginning, some of the land which was not needed by the Museum was leased to former owners. However, the landlords had to be compensated for any loss of yield.

Of course, all the old breeds of animals such as brown cows, sheep, goats and pigs belong to the farms in the «Mittelland» and on the lower Alps just as the feisty combative Eringer cows belong to the building group from the Valais. The Museum has an important duty to present these animals to the public. This task requires particular care and attention, a great deal of effort and good cooperation with the Foundation Pro Specia Rara.