On the Agriculture of the Netherlands. 261 



it is worked with a very cool hand, and salt is added as soon as all 

 the buttermilk is pressed out. This is essential to its keeping 

 quality ; and no Dutchman would touch butter which had no salt 

 in it, however fresh it might be. The butter made in summer 

 when the cows feed in the pastures is of a very fine golden colour 

 and agreeable taste. Where the pastures are not so rich this 

 colour is sometimes given artificially by means of scraped red 

 carrots put into the milk, or by annatto-root, as is done with 

 cheese in England; but the natural colour of the best butter 

 cannot be imitated, and none but tlie inexperienced are deceived. 



The salt used in curing butter, as well as fish, is of a peculiar 

 quality. It is crystallized in hollow pyramids composed of mi- 

 nute cubes. This is effected by allowing the salt to crystallize 

 very slowly. Sea-water is boiled to a certain degree of saturation ; 

 and the boiling is continued very slowly, so that the muriate of 

 soda separates from the other salts. The crystallization gene- 

 rally begins at the surface of the water by the formation of a cube 

 surrounded by a rim of cubes forming a hollow inverted pyramid, 

 which increases along the outer edge till the crystal becomes 

 too heavy to float, when it falls to the bottom. It is nearly pure 

 muriate of soda, and very little deliquescent. This salt is dried 

 in an oven, and then pounded, and ultimately worked into the 

 butter. The casks in which the butter is packed for sale are 

 made of very white clean wood. The inside is well washed with 

 strong brine, and the butter is pressed closely into it. A cask 

 must be filled at once, and, some salt being strewed over the 

 surface, the head is put in, and it is ready for exportation. The 

 pasture, no doubt, gives the richness to the butter ; but it is the 

 extreme attention to minute particulars, and especially the extra- 

 ordinary cleanliness of everything which is connected with the 

 dairy, which gives the Dutch butter its great reputation. 



Cheese of various kinds is made in different parts of the 

 Netherlands. That which is the best is a new-milk cheese called 

 Gouda cheese, from the name of the town in Holland near which 

 it is made. The little round Dutch cheeses, which are exported 

 in great quantities for ships' provision, are made in the neighbour- 

 hood of Edam : some of the cream has been subtracted and made 

 into butter, and the cheese is what would be called half-meal 

 cheese in England. It is very strongly salted, by soaking it in 

 brine. It is said that the curdling is produced by muriatic acid 

 instead of rennet ; but this is not generally the case. The com- 

 mon skim-milk cheeses made in Holland have seeds of cummin 

 mixed with the curd, and are made of the size of our Cheshire 

 cheeses. It is but a poor cheese, and seldom exported. When 

 it is grown hard it is cut into very thin slices, and usually put upon 

 bread and butter ; thus the poorness of the cheese is corrected. 



