A NORTH HOLLAND CHEESE MARKET 



1053 



A REMOTE CORNER 01? THE MARKB:T 



A pair of official porters are taking a tray-load of cheeses to the weigh-house. The picture 

 shows how carefully the piles are covered until and after the hour of the market 



a time, one in each hand, and throws 

 them to a man, either sitting or kneeling 

 on the ground, who arranges them in 

 regular piles. If the distance is consider- 

 able, an intermediate catcher and thrower 

 may be required, but a throw of 30 feet 

 presents no difihculties. The cheeses go 

 through the air as though tied together, 

 and are dexterously caught, a fumble 

 being almost unknown. At times, es- 

 pecially during the strenuous half, hour 

 preceding the opening of the market, the 

 yellow balls fly thickly in all directions. 



Pending the beginning of the -sale, the 

 finished piles are covered with canvas, 

 which is often supplemented with rush 

 mats, straw, or grass, to protect the 

 cheeses from sun end rain, and also to 

 prevent drying of the surface ; during the 

 night, also, the canvas is thrown over the 

 piles. We would not expect a Dutch 

 tradesman to neglect any precaution that 

 will improve the appearance of his 

 goods ; consequently we find that the 

 cheeses are thoroughly greased to make 

 them look fresh and inviting, and imme- 



diately before the sale some of the ven- 

 dors, with a dish of oil and a soft cloth 

 in hand, will liberally anoint every cheese 

 in the upper layeis. 



Shortly before 10 o'clock the four 

 large balance-scales in the weigh-house 

 are adjusted with the most scrupulous 

 care by a man in silk hat and frock coat, 

 and a large number of aged porters 

 ("Kaasdragers") congregate in an adja- 

 cent room and soon emerge clad wholly 

 in white except for their black slippers 

 and bright-colored straw hats. The hats 

 are of blue, red, yellow, green, purple, 

 and other distinctive colors, with ribbons 

 of the same shade hanging down behind, 

 and the men wearing the same co1c:g 

 work together in pairs. 



Promptly as the clock in the weigh- 

 house tower sounds the hour of 10, the 

 bustle assumes a new aspect ; promiscu- 

 ous conversation, with a strong caseous 

 bias, ceases and cheese becomes the sole 

 topic ; the countrymen remove the cover- 

 ings from their product, and the whole 

 field bursts into golden bloom, and im- 



