The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1905-09-15
XXyHEN ONE speaks of cheese it
" is an easy mental step to
think of Holland. You can


understand how natural it was when
opportunity offered that an agricultur-
ist while on a European trip, should
instinctively turn his steps in the di-
rection of that famous country and
find there some of the most interest
inc things of his entire travels 1t is
a matter of regret that such trips must
always be limited, both as to time and
ability to cover ground but if there is
any country where one can come as
near covering all that is to be seen 1t
is this little land of marsh and dyke,
open sea and sluggish canals, tulip
beds and black and white cattle.
Our stay there was necessarily linn
tied but so planned that we were able
to spend considerable time in some
of the richest agricultural districts
and study at first hand the methods
followed by the farmers and trades
men. particularly those connected with
the all-absorbing dairy industry upon
which the people so much depend.
Passing over much that might be OF
interest in the old towns and lower
Holland I will introduce you at once
to the famous regions known as North
Holland and the center Of the greatest
dairy industry in the world. Holland,
as you have heard, is a low-lying flat
country which has largely been re-
deemed from the sea by the dykes.
Immense walls of earth, and in some
places of stone, keep back the sea
water from overlooking it. The area
thus enclosed is drained by system
of canals and bitches. The water is
raised from the very lowest levels by
various means, usually by windmills.
Out of the smaller canals it finds it's
way into the larger ones from which
it is lifted into the sea by immense
steam pumps. There is little current
anywhere in any of the cOnduits, prac-
tically none except as created by the
pumps. For this reason the water all
over the country is stagnant most OF
the time and naturally becomes quite
filthy. If any criticism could be made
of the habits of the gentle, happy
people whose tidiness and cleanliness
is so apparent everywhere, it would be
one relating to the use of this dirty
stagnant water in the common uses
of the farm and household. No doubt
long continued custom has dulled the
keener sense of cleanliness, for the
Dutchman is by instinct a very model
of cleanliness. Instead of this parti-
cular fault because in the carrying
on of any of the operations of the
dairy a supply of pure water is of
prime necessity, a fact that our good
Dutch cheese makers appear to have
almost entirely overlooked. But of
this we will speak again
We entered the great cheese district
OF 6ay tho town whose ic
borne by the famous variety of cheese
which has been produced there for,
no doubt hundreds of years. 1t is one
of the three or four towns that can be
called centers of the cheese trade.
Here, as at Purmerend and De HORNE,
are held the great cheese markets at
stated periods and regular days. There
are located here, also, some of the
largest wholesale houses, having
buildings from four to five stories high,
in which the cheese bought on the
regular markets are stored to be ripen-
ed and finished for the markets of the
world. By the courtesy of the propri-
etOr of one of these / was shown
through the ancient building and
watched the men pairing, trimming,
coloring and otherwise putting the
product in shape to meet the require
ments of the trade in the different
countries to which it is to be shipped.
At the time inspected the stock there
was on hand cheese to the value of
about $4,000, but the capacity of the
warehouse would take in a much larg-
er amount than that. Very little effort
seemed to be necessary to maintain
proper temperatures for curing as the
atmosphere of the land is as a rule
such as brings about proper ripening
without artificial means. The propri-
etor of the establishment showed me