supplei;: r. HISTORY OI<" AGRICULTURE. l'J85 



Holland. 



7993. — 4-."i. The greatest part of the land in Holland, it is observed by Mr. Alton, of Hamilton, b< ting 

 under the level of the sea, a: d of the great rivers and canals which intersect that country, and, i 

 quently, being unfit for arable culture, is generally kept in meadow. " Part of the grass produced i- 

 cut lor hay, to supply the stock in winter and spring : and the rest of it is eaten off by a lew sheep and 

 horses, but chiefly by cows. Some of the cows are fattened for the shambles, but most of them are kept 

 as dairy stock. In those parts where the surface of the ground is above the level of the water, it is 

 cropped with wheat, rye, rape, beans, oats, flax, hemp, and potatoes: and even where the soil is a little 

 lower than the level of the sea and rivers, part of it is dug up in some places, and cropped with potatoes, 

 hemp, tSrc. But the greatest part of North and South Holland is so often overflowed with water, as to 

 render it improper to raise winter wheat crops tc a great extent." (Quart. Jour, of Agr., vol. iv. p. 328. ) 

 — The soil " being generally rich, the herbage is luxuriant ; but. owing to the moist condition of the 

 land, w hich is frequently inundated in winter, the herbage it produces is rather coarse, and many moist 

 plants arise from the richer natural grasses." (Ibid.) 



7994. There are few large estates in Holland, and " but few large farms. The land being remarkably 

 level, it is generally divided and subdivided by ditches, or narrow canals, that receive the surface water, 

 and serve the purposes of a fence.'' (Ibid.) 



7995. — 428. The farm-houses in Holland "are of dimensions suited to the extent of the land in the 

 farm, and they are more or less elegant or comfortable, as the wealth or taste of the occupant may dic- 

 tate ; but they very much resemble each other. They are generally of only one story in height, but 

 placed on so broad a base, as to afford accommodation not only for the boor, or farmer, and his family, but 

 also their live stock, dairy, cheese-house, threshing-floor, the whole crop, and fodder for cattle. In short, 

 the whole farmstead is frequently comprehended under one roof. Besides a kitchen, in w hich the family 

 sit and eat, as well as cook their" food, and from which they can see their cattle during winter and spring, 

 these houses contain at least one elegant and well-furnished room, with a bed-room or two, into which 

 they seldom enter, except on days of festivity. Their kitchens are much more tastefully fitted up than 

 those of the farm-houses in Scotland. They have a stove of an elegant figure, which is kept wonderfully 

 clean. The wall near to the fire-place is covered with plates of flowered earthenware ; and the mantel- 

 piece is richly, though rather heavily, fitted up. There are some concealed beds and closets in this part 

 of the building ; while a pump .well" and a horse-gin for washing and churning the butter, are both at 

 hand, near the centre of the building. The floor of the kitchen generally consists of marble ; the rest 

 of the building is of brick. The gincourse is laid with sand, and is covered with boards when the horse 

 is not in yoke. The whole building is roofed with tiles, and the roof rises in a somewhat pyramidal 

 for:n. The walls are generally built of brick, but sometimes of mud or boards ; but the roof is supported 

 on trames of v/ood, round which the walls form only a covering There is no urine tank as in Belgium. 

 Indeed, little attention seems to be paid to manure in Holland, probably on account of the soil being 

 naturally rich." (Ibid.) 



7996. The cow byre is " paved with hard bricks, or clinkers, as they are termed, set on edge ; and the 

 stakes to which the cows are bound are made to be removed in summer, when the cattle are turned out 

 to pasture. A passage before the cow's head is convenient for giving them their meat, a r id a trough of 

 clean water is placed before the cows, from which they can drink at pleasure. The water is let off once 

 a day by means of a plug, and a new supply from the well pumped into the trough. A passage behind 

 the cows, serves to remove the dung." (Ibid., p. 330.) 



7997. Dutch cotes. " The Vriesland and Groningen cows are the largest and most esteemed races in 

 Holland. They are short-necked, broad and deep-chested, deep bodied, and broad-backed, with well- 

 made limbs, fine small horns, and stand well upon their feet. The greatest number of these cows are 

 either black or white, or dark brown and white." (Highland S:jc. Trans., vol. x. p. 169.) 



7998. The general practice in Holland is. " that the cow should calve in her second year. The bull is 

 employed when it is two years old, and is fatted and sold to the butcher when lour or five years old, and 

 the cow at seven or eight. Some cows are, however, kept for milking till the tenth year." (Ibid.) 



7 The most improved method of treating the calf in Holland. " It is immediately after its birth 



taken from the cow, put in a separate place, and laid on dry straw. A little salt is given, and the tongue 

 and mouth are rubbed with it. It is also rubbed clean with straw. After the lapse of six or eight hours, 

 the first beasting of the mother cow, diluted with one third water, is given to the calf to drink, and this 

 treatment is continued for some days, the liquid being given thrice a day. Thereafter, during two or 

 three weeks, they give the calf the milk as it comes from the cow, diluted with one fourth water, in 

 which now and then a small handful of salt is put ; then buttermilk is gradually given, and it is supplied 

 with hav ; at the age of ten weeks it is brought out into the meadow, where it is also supplied with 

 skimmed milk, buttermilk, or whey. In this way each farmer raises the proper number of heifer calves 

 to fill up vacancies ; but calves fattened for sale have milk from the cow three times a day. For some 

 days after calving the cow is milked thrice a day, after which they return to the usual practice of milking 

 twice a day." (Ibid.) 



8000. Treatment of milch cows in Holland. " The cows are turned out to grass generally by the end 

 of March, or the beginning of April. They are, when first sent out, furnished witli a very thick cloth ol 

 tow, covering the back and sides, from the" shoulders to the tail, to prevent diseases from cold. They 

 remain out, night and dav. about thirty weeks. In the winter months the general food is hay, and mosl 

 farmers give their cow s nothing else : "distillery grains are sometimes given, when they can be obtained. 

 At the great establishment of Baron Van Palink, near Leyden, boiled beans, with rape cake, spread ovet 

 the hav, were given at night, and ground linseed cake in the morning, which, it was stated, enabled the 

 cow to* give more and better milk than hay alone. Raw potatoes and dry linseed cake are also sometimes 

 given, and most farmers give the buttermilk, either diluted with water or not, to the cows, as well as to 

 the calves and pigs. Mangold-w urtzel is also given, but turnips never." (Ibid ) 



8001. The byres or cow-houses in Ho/land " are generally lofty, airy, paved with large square bricks 

 [Aiton savs " clinkers," see \ 7996.1, and kept perfectly clean. The roof is generally about ten lei-t high. 

 There are no racks or mangers. The cows stand in two rows, generally facing the centre, and sometimes 

 the sides of the byre, along which is a brick pavement slightly elevated in the middle. On the edges 

 next the cows, and on a level with them, is a trough, perfectly clean, into which the meat or drink is 

 put, and the hav laid dow n. Kach cow has about five feet of space, and is tied to a railing of three small 

 posts in front, which separate them from one another. There is a little straw used for bedding : on tin- 

 place where the cows stand, there is a hollow part at the fore feet, into wi.ich are now and then put dry 

 horse dung and straw; at the hind feet, generally nothing is laid but a little dry sand. Fiom the narrow- 

 ness of the space divided into stalls, the back always projects so far as to cause the dung droppings to fall 

 into a gutter about eighteen inches deep, and eighteen inches wide, which is regularly and carefully swept 

 and cleaned, so that there is very little trouble in clearing awav and collecting the manure. 'I he m» - 

 are always kept quite clean : and, to prevent the tail occasioning filth, the lower end is always tied up by 

 a string attached to the ceiling." (Ibid.) 



8002. Process of milking in Holland. " The cows are always milked by the men, and the butter nnd 

 cheese made by the women. One man is considered necessary for every ten cows. At ler I.eide, the 

 well-managed 'dairv establishment of Baron Van Palink. there are ninety milch cows, nine men and a 

 Boermn (or female farmer), the maker ol the butter and cheese, who has a female assistant. At Klinken- 

 bur"h, near Sasenheim, there are forty cows ; the farmer and three grown sons do all the milking, and 

 his wife and one female servant make all the butter and cheese. At Schoote, near Haarlem, there are 



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