A DUTCH FARMHOUSE.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 224, 21 September 1929, Page 1 (Supplement)

A DUTCH FARMHOUSE.

COSY QUARTERS FOR COWS. HOW STOCK IS WINTERED. {By-A. WALKER.) The "polders" of Holland, those green meadows which lie entrenched behind protecting dykes many feet below the level of the sea from which they are reclaimed, are dotted with incredible numbers of black and white cows, something like ten to the acre. These are the source of Holland's great cheese trade, those little round red Dutch cheese which travel to the most remote parts of the world. The cattle graze outside for six months in the year only. In November, when the cold rains of winter begin and the polders turn into quaking ooze, all farm stock is removed to the safe shelter of a roof, there to remain until the following April. But look round a farming district ana you will not see many barns or stables, only the quaint, steep-roofed houses, curiously elongated at the back, picturesque windmills, and an occasional, and not very ample, haystack. Where, then, do the cows go in the winter? "Come with me to the village of Brock-in-Waterland, one of the 'dead' cities of Holland," said an Amsterdam friend, "and I will show you a Dutch farmhouse and how they care for their cattle." 1 The farmhouse was an attractive, white-painted dwelling, with a very spick and span, many-windowed front, separated from the road by gay flower beds. A side door gave entrance to a passage which led to the back of the house. "Here," said my guide, "is where these people's cows will spend the winter, their stalls are just being got ready now. They have 20 cows and here are 10 stalls. Two cows will be put in each, and there they will remain for the next five months." This huge combination barn, dairy and kitchen occupied the whole rear of the house. It had a brick floor and the centre of it, which came right under the peak of the roof, was filled with an immense haystack, boarded right round to prevent litter. The cow-stalls were against one wall and were raised well above the rest of the floor. They had white painted sides and sanded floors, and straw was being strewn in them for bedding. Making Cheese. Against the opposite wall was a large cheese press in use, f>nd the neat, plump Dutch housewife explained the process of manufacture. She led the way to a large white enamelled vat into which the fresh millc in poured every morning and the right proportion of rennet added. When coagulation is complete the whey is drawn off and the curd worked about with wooden dashers like those of a churn. Then the round earthenware containers which give the Dutch cheese its characteristic cannon-be.il shape are filled and placed in the press, the one we saw- holding ten at a time. Here they remain for 24 hours, until the next day's lot is ready to take their place. Then they are removed to a flat tray and covered with salt, which they are left to absorb with occasional turnings for three days, and are then placed in a drying frame. Their next move is to the famous market at Alkmaar, where, every Friday, the cheese of the whole district is collected for auction, 3,500,000 cheeses being an average offering. The outside is left the natural colour if for home consumption and painted the familiar beetroot colour for export, the latter precaution being to prevent mould. Story-Bo ok Cleanliness. Every vessel connected with the pi°" cess in the farmhouse was of the_ most immaculate cleanliness. Every implenient capable of, pplisli shone with the most refulgent splendour. Brass is the darling of the Dutchwoman's heart, nothing else responds so handsomely to the everlasting rubbing which is the only expression of her artistic soul. Standing against the wall opposite the cow-stalls wsis a family heirloom, a handsomely carved and brass-trimmed cheese press of ancient pattern, 200 years old, which shone fresh from its daily scrubbing. When the cows come inside to join the family for the winter, tliey will be washed and polished up every day with the rest of the fittings. Cheese-making will then cease on the farm and the milk will either be sold for consumption in the cities, or be sent to one of the cheese factories in the neighbourhood. One Room Neatness. This particular farm was a fairly prosperous one and the family had two front rooms for their own use. These were filled with the clutter of on iments and treasured family possessions which are a patent of careful housekeeping. In poorer homes whole families will live in one room, the beds being in recesses in the wall, two deep, the small children sleeping below the bed of the larger ones. I saw one such room which housed the parents and seven children, and the whole place was immaculate, curtains being drawn in front of the bed recesses, and the spare clothes of the family all being hidden in cardboard ' boxes covered with bright wallpapei. On the large farms the stock barns are not actually in the house, but connected ' with it by a covered passageway. Even in the one-room homes space will be found for the treasured ornaments, and the family wedding garments, handed down from mother to daughter will be stored in some safe niche in the wall.