The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-02-08

the ocean, so that in some places the fishes outside swim high above the matched house roofs. It has men who are engaged in planning and building ship canals, such as the mighty waterways which connect Amsterdam with the ocean, and 1t has others who are scheming now to build a great dyke acros the Zuyder Zee to redeem as much land as a good sized Texas county. which, when re- deemed. will be worth hundreds of dollars an acre.
 This undertaking is for time in abey- ance, but there Is no doubt that it will eventually be carried out. The Dutch have done much of such reclamation in the past. About fifty years ago they lifted a billion tons of water out of the region near Haarlem. and made seventy square miles of good farming land. It cost them more than a million and half of dollars but the land was worth 1t. In another place they have redeemed 41.O00 acres at a cost of about $4.0O0,0O0. and as soon as the work was done q foreign syndicate offered them g., 2,O0O,OO0 for the property as d whole. The Government refused this offer and eventually got several hundred thousand dollars more than 1t cost it to make the improvement.
 As to the Zuyder Zee scheme this is a DlSStT one llldu any that HdS yet been undertaken. It is estimated that it will cost over $75,OOOOO0, but it will result Tn the reclamation of a vast tract of land. The work will take thirty-three years, and the taxes on the land recovered will then bring in $4.000,0 ,0O0 year to the Gov ernment, making the matter good long time investment At present the Govern ment is afraid of it. and although all the plans have been completed. no work has been actually done.
 In the Islands of Zealand.
 Have you ever heard of Zealand? It is the southeastern province of, Holland. consisting of nine islands lying in tho mouths of the Scheldt and the Maas. formed by the silt brought down by these rivers. The most of the provinces is be- low the sea level. being protected against the ocean by mighty dykes. It was through this province that I came from Antwerp to Rotterdam on the little steam boat Telegraf III.
 As I rode down the Scheldt l passed the kroonland of our own American line moving up with a cargo from New York for Antwerp, and a little later on came in sight of the dykes. Near the Dutch boundary the river is walled with stone held between piles. We rode high above the rest of the country, and could sec the roofs of the barns and houses even with the top of the dykes. On the oppos- ite side the trees showed out like bushes over the wall which extended on and on up the river as far as our eyes could reach We passed the great forts that guard this entrance to Europe. and went on through a flat country on the edge of the sea. At times we could sec the fields beyond the walls with the cattle feeding upon them. Long lines of trees marked out tho road which seemed to be marching over the landscape. making me think of Macbeth's woods coming to Dursinane.
 A Big Dutch Canal.
 We soon left the Scheldt and passing through locks came into the canal of South Cleveland. This is one of the larg- est canals of Southern Holland. It Is wide and high banked, and SO straight that the tugs and barges which fill 1t grow smaller and smaller and finally block the canal in the distance.
 The locks are old fashioned They are moved by hand by quaint old Dutchnen in caps, roundahouts and fat pantaloons. At every lock Dutch girls brought ont fruit and knickknacks 10 sell to Inc pas sengers. They were pretty girls. and I liked their quaint costumes. They wore short skirts, white clogs and black stock