Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-08-29
Continued from 1m pqos,

met with immense difficulties in ere
ating basin, or harbor of refuge,
at the exit of the canal, and, after
expending millions of dollars IN VAIN
efforts to construct one, have ceased
work, and appealed to the Govern
ment to purchase the canal and hnlsh
the lob. which it has not yet done.
It seems that no piling can be made
to stand in the yielding sand against
the ocean-shore currents during
storms. The great piers projected
into the sea have been undermined
and washed away, and the work is
at standstill.
The other company undertaking
alluded to above is the drainage of
1000
SQUARE MILES OF THE ZUIDER ZEE.
The company commenced some
time ago to throw vast dyke across
the narrowest part, where it is only
10 or II miles wide, and the water at
low tide only 10 or Is feet deep;
but, after expending several millions
of guilders, it has become dlscour-
aged, and also asks the Government
to take the job off its hands. A
large part of the Zuider Zee was
once cultivated land. Down to the
thirteenth century it consisted Of
drv land and several fresh-water
lakes. connected by an arm of the
Rhine. But, in 1887, the ocean
broke over the bar during terrible
northwest storm, and inundated sew
eral thousand square miles of coun-
try, drowning 1000 persons. From
that time, for 200 years, the waves
continued to wash away the land,
swallowing up whole forests and
whole counties, until the Zuider Zee
assumed its present proportions, and
large ships navigate where carriages
formerly travelled, and this new sea
became an arm of the German ocean.
No company will probably be able
to recover this lost territory, and it
must remain submerged until the
Government itself undertakes the
stupendous task; ;.but, whenever it is
performed, it will add
oNE-FIFTH TO THE AREA OF HOLLAND.
In travelling through the Neither
lands, the tourist cannot help being
impressed with the luxuriance of the
vegetation, and the enormous num-
Der of cattle and sheep grazing in the
long narrow fields, bounded by wa
terrified bitches. The cattle are all
of black and white color, with short
horns, and in shape closely resemble
the British Durhams; but the Dutch
farmers consider them a superior
breed to any of the English cattle.
The statements of the quantity of
milk given by these COWS, and the
amount of butter and cheese pro-
duced therefrom, are something in
credible,-the amount being twice
or thrice as much as that produced
from an equal number of American
COWS. I hardly know whether to be-
lieYe the stories or not, although the
quantity of yellow, creamy-looking
milk taken from the cows on the
farms I visited was
SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.
The COW stable and dwelling house
are under one roof in Holland The
cows occupy the rear; the butter and
cheese department is in the middle;
and the family resides in the front
part of the edifce, which is construc-
ed of brick, with a very high, pyra-
midal-shaped roof, covered with red
tiles. The state of cleanliness which
exists in the COW stable part of the
dwelling is not exaggerated by the
reports of travellers. Around every
house is planted a little grove of
trees, and on the south side of it is
a garden filled with flowers and
small fruits, and generally bordered
with cherry trees, which is an easily
grown and favorite fruit tree in Hol-
land. On each side, or, for that
matter, all around the residence
premises, are bitches, or small canals;
so that the Dutchman's castle is
really located on an island.
The value of the butter and cheese
exported annually from Holland
to
THIRTY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
and the value of cattle and sheep
sold yearly is $15,OOO,OOO to $780,
O0G, 900 more. Most of these prod
ucts find market at high prices in
Great Britain. The Dutch eat COM
paratively little meat, butter, or
cheese, but export them abroad,
and invest the proceeds in Holland,
German, French, and American
bonds. They are extremely fond of
clipping off coupons. Several far
mers were pointed out to me who
own from $50 to 200 acres of land,
and who have each saved and in
vested $4,000 to $4,000 in bonds.
But these are large farms and excep-
5ional cases. The ordinary size of
them does not exceed Is to 20 or 80
acres. But from these little patches
the Dutch farmers manage to save
more money than the Illinois farmer
who owns and works 200 to 800 acres
Of land.
1 am not greatly impressed with
the appearance of
AMSTERDAM,
which is tie wealthiest city of its
size on the Continent. Some writ
ers with an exuberant fancy call it
he "Venice of the North;" but
,an perceive little resemblance to
he "Queen of the Adriatic." 1t is
rue the city is a spider-web of ca
lals, but there are no gondolas on
hem On each side of every stag
lant, sinking canal is paved street,
long which trees are planted. The
streets are noisy with the rattle of
ARTS, wagons, and omnibuses. In
Venice there is not a wheeled vehi-
lie and not horse to be seen. Ven
ce is city of beautiful and stately
marble palaces. Amsterdam is built
# dingy colOred brick, and houses
tand with their gable ends, to the
treet Few of them have nernan-