Things Seen in Holland
painted with a deep claret-tinted pigment, to enable them to stand the sea-voyage without detriment to their quality. Edam was in days gone by a seaport, and along the Edam-Volendam Canal are tufts of “paddy,” or wild rice—a link with the cargoes formerly discharged there by ships from Holland's Eastern possessions. A compliment the Hollander is fond of paying to his wife is, “There is no better kaasboerin (cheese-farmer).
Among the other industries which add to Holland's revenue are cattle-raising, diamond-cutting, and the cultivation and exportation of bulbs. The Dutch cattle are all of one colour—black and white. Should the black stripes form on the coat of the animal three vertical belts equal in width, the beasts are greatly prized and admired.
Diamond-cutting has Amsterdam for its
226
