IN THE WESTERN AZORES. 397 
in the island, and whose wheels of solid wood, studded with 
bosses of iron round the rim, grind channels in the lava not 
unlike the deep ruts seen in clayey lanes in England. 
The road was flanked on both sides, by an interminable 
net-work of vineyards; almost the whole surface of the 
country being here divided by low stone walls into small 
compartments, varying considerably in size, but often about 
three yards wide by ten or fifteen yards in length. Within 
these compartments the vines are planted in crevices of the 
rock or between loose blocks, which are scantily clothed with 
weedy herbage. Among the weeds, Briza maxima, Polycarpon 
tetraphyllum, Galactites tomentosa, Gnaphalium luteo-album, 
Gastridium lendigerum and Bromus Madritensis were frequent 
species. The monotonous continuity of the vineyards was 
partly broken and relieved, immediately adjacent to the road, 
by the small gardens attached to many of the cottages. : 
Besides the vines there were some apricot trees, with fruit 
nearly ripe and very small, also numerous fig trees and peach 
trees, thickly covered with young fruit, but very few oranges 
or lemons. On the opposite coast of Fayal, which faces 
south-east, and has a good depth of mould produced by the 
decomposed lava-rocks and cinders, the orange and lemon 
trees are numerous, while comparatively few vines are culti- 
vated, except to form shady walks in the gardens, when 
trained over trellis work. It is worthy of note, however, 
that the fruits of this part of Pico (although it is that decli- 
vity of the lofty peak, which faces nearly north,) are ripe 
earlier than those of Horta, which is built, as before stated, 
on the south east base of a range of fértile hills, and not ten 
miles distant. Probably the dark lava-rocks and walls of 
Pico, sparingly covered with vegetation, and thus often 
heated strongly by the rays of the sun, may be the chief 
cause of this peculiar result. Erodium malachoides and 
Heliotropium Europeum were gathered in small quantity by 
the road side, in the lower part of the region of vines; and 
this was the only spot in the Azores where I found these 
plants. 
VOL. II. | 2r 
