There is very little land under tillage in the province of Holland, as may be easily imagined from the nature of the soil and climate ; and what is under tillage is almost exclusively confined to South Holland. The crops princi pally cultivated arc wheat, madder, tobacco, hemp, flax, clover, &c. The country adjacent to Gravesande, not far from the mouth of the Maese, is reckoned to produce the best wheat, as well as the sweetest grass, in South Holland. Madder of most excellent quality, naturally as well as prepared, in a most superior manner, has long been a pro ductive and famous crop in Holland. Tobacco is not so extensively or carefully cultivated as formerly. Hemp flourishes remarkably well, the depth and moisture of the soil being admirably adapted to the luxuriant growth of this plant. Oudewater, about seven miles to the south of Wo erden, upon the lesser Yssel, in South Holland, is noted for good hemp produced on its soil. Flax is grown, not only for the purpose of manufactures, but also for its seed, though some of the other provinces in the Netherlands are more remarkable for this crop than Holland. The same remark applies to clover.
The pastures of Holland, especially as has been already remarked, of North Holland, are perhaps unrivalled for the abundance and luxuriance of the grass they produce. From it they obtain milk, cheese, and butter, all of excel lent quality. Mrs. Radcliffe remarks, that on her way from Helvoetsluys to Rotterdam, she passed now and then a waggon filled with large brass jugs, bright as new gold ; in these vessels, which have short narrow necks, covered with a wooden stopper, milk is brought from the field, throughout Holland. It is always carried to the towns in light waggons or carts, drawn frequently by horses as sleek and well-conditioned as those in our best coaches. The butter of Holland is of a very superior quality : the greater part of it is salted and barrelled for exportation ; Beenister is noted for the excellence of this article. There are seve ral kinds of cheese made in Holland, some of which are rich and highly esteemed, and some made from milk, which i has previously supplied the butter, of course very inferior in quality. Leyden, Gouda, Edam, Gravesande, and Hoorn, are famous for their cheese : from the last place, vast quan tities both of cheese and butter are exported to Spain, Portu gal, and other countries, epecially during their annual fair in the month of May. The cheese made in Holland is of two sorts, red and white ; the red is much esteemed, and what resembles the ; it is made into large and small shapes ; the former weighs from 18 to 20, and the latter from 6 to 8 libs : the white cheeses weigh from 6 to 7, and the richest kinds are excellent as toasting cheeses. Besides the common Dutch cheeses, there are some called Kanterkaas ; these arc of various sorts, the principal of which are the green cheeses, the white of Leyden, the cummin cheese of Leyden, and the round cheese. In North Holland, about 18 millions of pounds of cheese were sold in the year 1801 : and at Gouda, in 1803, about two mil lions were sold. The cattle which produce such large quantities of excellent butter and cheese, are not indige nous, but for the most part are of the Holstein or Danish breed. In the vicinity of Hoorn they have a considerable
trade in Danish cattle, which are imported lean, and fat tened in the rich pastures round this place, and then driven to the other parts of Holland. The utmost attention is every where paid to the warmth and cleanliness of the mulch cows, so that even in summer the animals appear in the meadows clothed with ludicrous care. The horses arc principally from England or Flanders. The number of horned cattle in Holland, in the year 1804, amounted to 902,526, of which 252,394 were under two years of age. At that time it was generally believed that there had been a great decrease in the number of horses, sheep, and swine. The ancient race of sheep indigenous to the country, have long been improved by the introduction of foreign breed.; but the soil and climate of Holland are not favourable to this animal : very little wool is exported, what is obtained from the sheep being chiefly consumed in the manufactures of the country. In some parts of Holland, bees are an object of much attention to the farmer, chiefly on account of the wax which they afford. A vast quantity of this ar ticle is annually gathered ; and the bleaching of it forms a considerable branch of industry among the poorer class es : a great deal of white wax was formerly exported to Spain. In connection with the agriculture of Holland, its horticulture must not be passed over : the mode of laying out the gardens is still very ungraceful and artificial ; the trees are bent and cut into a thousand fantastic shapes, and the flower-beds are of every form that can displease and dis gust the eye of taste. There are generally abundance of stag nated canals, with puerile bridges thrown over them. But setting aside these points of inferiority, the people of Holland in several respects are excellent horticulturists, especi ally in what regards the culture and improvement of the most beautiful flowers. The rage for flowers, especially tulips, is not nearly so great or general at present as it was formerly. There is to be seen in the registers of Alcmaer, the record of a circumstance which deserves to be men tioned : In the year 1637, there were sold publicly in this city, one hundred and twenty tulips for 90,000 guilders: one of these flowers, called the Admiral of Euchuysen, with its root and offsets, was sold for 5200 guilders ; two others, called Brabanters, for 3800 guilders ; and one named the Viceroy sold for 4203 guilders. Not only the name and price of these flowers, but also their weight, are particu larly set down in the registers of this city. The passion of paying exorbitant prices for flowers at length came to such a height in Holland, that the States were obliged to put a stop to it by severe penalties; many gentlemen having been ruined by that passion. The fruit of Holland, though abundant, is seldom of good quality : the humidity of the climate, as well as its rapid growth, from the richness of the soil, rendering it insipid.