ST. AUGUSTIN TO BAHAMA ISLANDS 267 



in the scarce soil among the holes, crevices, and hol- 

 lows of the rock. Nowhere on the whole island can 

 there be found a spot as much as a rood covered really 

 with earth except where it has been assembled by old 

 or actual swamps, or where low places along the shore 

 have been filled in with mere sand. 



At a first view of this soil, everywhere rocky and 

 stony, or of the white and dazzling sand by the shore, 

 all notion of planting would seem to find contradiction, 

 and all hope of a harvest from any plant quite beyond 

 the possible ; but with good treatment this rocky soil is 

 by no means unthankful. It would be damaging here 

 to carry too far the clearing of the bush ; because rain 

 and wind would then soon destroy the good earth, and 

 the sun burn upon the bald rock ; there having been 

 sad experience on the Barbadoes and the Cape Verd 

 islands of indiscreet clearing off of the woods. An 

 acre or piece of arable ground here has indeed a fear- 

 ful look, for there is to be seen hardly anything but 

 rock, full of larger or smaller pits and holes, contain- 

 ing a pretty strongly reddish earth. Neither trenching 

 nor plowing is therefore to be thought of such spots 

 may only be broken with a sharp mattock ; but what- 

 ever is sowed or planted certainly thrives. It is no 

 exaggeration to say that perhaps not the sixth, nor the 

 eighth part of the surface of the island is covered with 

 earth, the rest being naked rock. However, in the wild 

 state every spot is over-grown ; the tree and plant 

 roots creep over the rocks and stones, forcing into 

 every cleft and hollow to find a lodging place and 

 nourishment. It is clear that the native shrubs find 

 merely a basis on the rock, and must draw their sup- 

 port chiefly from the air. On the coast there are to be 



