HOLSTEIN-FRIESIAN CATTLE. 153 



soil and are often worth $300 to $1000 and sometimes S2000 per acre. 

 These polders are lands reclaimed from the lakes and the sea by 

 means of pumps and wind mills This strong clay soil is of superior 

 quality and supports a population of between 600,000 and 700,000 

 persons. The peasants devote their whole attention to cattle breeding 

 and dairying — in fact they go so far as to live a part of the year (from 

 October to May) under the same roof with their cattle. From May 

 to October the beautiful blacks and whites may be seen in the pas- 

 tures, not always presenting to the eye that beautiful sight which 

 they do upon the green pastures and meadows of Maine and Massa- 

 chussetts — for they are often covered with coarse linen blankets to 

 protect them from insects and the weather But the farms are 

 beautiful and rich beyond anything we have here. There are 

 no fences, their farms are separated by canals. The Hollander's 

 house and stable are all in one. The building is usually of brick 

 walls about eight to ten feet high covered with a thatched roof of 

 straw or rushes. The roof is very steep. The interior is divided to 

 suit the occupants. The family uses a large room, on the sides of 

 which are seen what appears to be cupboard or closet doors. Open- 

 ing these a large feather bed is discovered in a bunk which is one of 

 the sleeping apartments of which there are several openings into one 

 room. The kitchen and dining room are usually in one corner of 

 the stable with no partition between. Here you would be invited to 

 sit down and take a cup of tea. 



The cows are usually fastened with their heads towards the sides 

 of the building, which is well lighted with windows. They stand 

 on a level raised one foot or more above the floor and behind 

 them is a drain eighteen inches to two feet in depth and one foot in- 

 width. This is thoroughly cleaned and washed twice every da}'. At 

 a convenient height over this drain a wire or rope is fastened to 

 which the cows tails are attached with cords to keep them out of the 

 filth when lying down. 



The feed is put into a trough in front of the cattle and water is 

 pumped into it so that they feed and drink without leaving the 

 stable once during the entire winter. Sand is used for bedding ; no 

 straw is grown. The cows are cleaned like horses and fed regularly 

 several times daily. The heat in the the stables is at times most 

 oppressive, and moisture collects upon the walls like dew. In 1873 

 the number of cattle in North Holland was 145,220 head. The 

 cheese and butter sales of Holland amount to enormous suras. 



