Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 258, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 November 1911 — DUTcH COUNTRY LIFE [ARTICLE]

DUTcH COUNTRY LIFE

WEEKLY CHEEBE MARKET IS AN INTERESTING EVENT. 4 Much Noise and Excitement Accompany the Trading—Quaint Custom*, and Costumes on Farms and j <tn Fishing Districts. One of the recent consular reports is devoted to the interesting features of quaint country life in Holland. Next to cattle raising, It says, the dairy furnishes the Netherlands’ most important agricultural products, especially fine butter and cheese. It is the custom for farmers to come once a week on a fixed day into the nearest town with their peculiar shaped wagons filled with yellow cheese. Dutch cheese is dyed red on the outside only for export. The buyers generally make their appearance on the market about ten o’clock, and each sale is concluded by a special method of handshaking. The noise and excitement that prevail in these markets are not unlike the typical wheat pit of an American produce exchange. Edam, a few miles from Amsterdam, is possibly the most important cheese center, and gives its name to the produce of that section. In addition to the cheese made on a small scale by individuals, there are many large cheese factories throughout the Netherlands. Oil production by the fanners of the Netherlands In a small Way, with “stampers,” can be traced as far back as the seventeenth century. This primitive method was superseded by stones driven by wind power. Many of these small oil mills also had a grain grinding equipment, and a number of them are still in operation. The modern oil industry is centered around Zaandam. The total number of oil mills in Holland, according to Statistics for the year 1906, is 220, and these employ over 3,000 workmen. In the fishing districts and on the farms the old-time Dutch customs are still to be found. The quaint costume of the women, with the ancient headdress and the full skirts, remains the pride of the Holland huisvrouv (housewife), and the men, with their wide, baggy trousers, are no less picturesque. The milkmaid, with her two milk cans, polished like silver and swung from a specially built shoulder yoke, Is a feature of the street scene In any village.