In 1991 the Netherlands PTT issued three stamps which depict old farms in the Netherlands, the 55+30 ct shows us an old dairy farm in Wartena, in the Province Friesland, the last of her kind, and now a museum. Also depict a chart of the northern part of the Netherlands where on is given were you can find this farm.
In the foreground alongside is depict a schow, it looks a wooden one, nowadays she are mostly made of iron or steel. The wooden are used as pleasure craft, and fitted out with an outboard engine.
The schow is probably one of the oldest boat forms in the Netherlands. She was from the oldest times through her simplicity and low draught an ideal work boat for the Friesian people. And for centuries the scow was the most important means of transport. Many off-lying houses and farms used a schow when the low laying fields were flooded. And they were cut off from the villages and towns.
The blacksmith carpenter and painter used the schow to the outlying farms and houses to perform their work. The baker, the butcher and shopkeepers used the schow for hawking; even the doctor used a schow to visit his patients
She was built depending on the intended use in many sizes and designs.
The schow depict on the stamp was of the smaller type, and in former times mostly used to ferry the farmer and his family across the canal, or for the transport the milk cans. The wooden schow depict nowadays is used as a pleasure boat.
The smaller schow’s were rowed, while the larger schow’s could step a mast and set a sail, this type carried leeboards.
The schow as seen on the stamp has an average length of 4 to 4.5m, beam around 1m.
Netherland 1991 55+30ct sg1610, scott?