46 
Coral Sand. Red Soil. Red Soil. Red Soil 
Organic matter 3.806- 11. 210. 13.00. i4-9»o 
SiOg and sand iiiool in HCL. 0.050. 40.127. 3^-764' 20.134 
Fe^Os I ^ ^_ 12.340. 10.000. 28.54 
Al,03 f ^'""^ ■ I3-75- 7-35. ".90 
CaO 52.470. 3.508. 7.84. 3-335 
The onaitted components are water, alkalies^ magnesia, etc. 
As might be expected from their insular position, they need nitro- 
genous fertilizers, and the gulf-weed which is washed ashore is care- 
fully gathered to supply the deficiency. 
The islands are on the eastern edge of the Gulf Stream, by which 
very naturally the climate is much influenced. The surface tempera- 
ture of the water averages 70^ F. For the last ten years the mean 
temperature of the air has been 71° F., the dew-point being 64 F. 
The highest observation in the shade is 90*^ F., lowest, 48° F., but in 
the sun the mercury has reached 158°. August is the hottest month, 
averaging 87°; February the coldest at 55"*. The daily range is 
6°-8°, annual 32^. During my visit, March 8th to April 2d, it was 
6o*'^65°. To compare with the United States, it maybe said that the 
isothermal of 72^ runs across the middle of Florida at Tampa, and, 
crossing the upper part of the Gulf of Mexico, strikes Texas at Cor- 
pus Christi. The rain-fall is large. The average of ten years shows 
155 rainy days in 365, and 56 inches. In one 24 hours while I was 
there oyer 4 inches fell. But the distribution through the yea^r is 
very uniform, the wettest and dryest months differing only by i".5- 
By way of comparison, the rain-fall of New York is 40, and so high a 
rain-fall as this is reached only in the everglades of Florida, about 
the Mississippi Delta and on the far north-west coast. It would seem 
therefore that in physical features the islands closely resemble 
Southern Florida. Bermuda is best known in the " States " by rea- 
son of the early vegetables that come hither. Onions and potatoes 
are the most important, but tomatoes, beets and carrots are raised in 
abundance. Strange to say, the seed-onions and potatoes come en- 
tirely from abroad, as those produced on the islands do not afford 
palatable vegetables. The seed-onions come from Madeira and 
Tcneriffe, the potatoes from the States. Carrots are much used 
locally as table- vegetables, and, when boiled, are exceedingly sweet 
and palatable, lacking entirely the strong taste that in the norin 
makes them best adapted for fodder. Corn is raised in season and 
is said to be very good. Tomatoes were ripe March ist, if no^ 
earlier. As if to compensate for natural advantages, the vegetables 
are much exposed to blights of various sorts, the potatoes suffering 
especially. But notwithstanding these and the small acreage the ex- 
ports in 1882 were valued at over ^80,000, and the amount is proD- 
ably greater at present. 
Of fruits, the chief one that was ripe in March was the banana. 
The dwarf variety {Musa Cavendishii) is most abundant. Oranges 
are less cultivated than in former years, but are said to be of y"?^"^^ 
excellence. The Bermuda lemon has an exceedingly thick rind, t>u^ 
*Cf. Voyage of the Challenger. Vol. I., p. 
