92 FLOWERS AND GARDENS OF MADEIRA 



and lantanas have strayed from gardens and sown 

 themselves in every direction. In April the 

 beautiful Ornithogalum Arabicum, bearing its white 

 starry blossoms with jet-black centres, may be seen 

 growing wild, and I have been told that the pure 

 white Lilium candidum is to be found in a wild 

 state, though I have never come across it myself. 



Between Santo Antonio and Santo Amaro the 

 earliest strawberries which are brought into the 

 market in Funchal are grown, making their 

 appearance in favourable seasons late in February, 

 though at that season they have little flavour, and 

 generally only find favour in the eyes of the tourists, 

 who are attracted by their inviting appearance as 

 they are offered for sale in little fancy baskets. If 

 some enterprising person would make some ex- 

 periments with growing the plants on rather steep 

 banks or slopes, as I have seen done elsewhere in 

 temperate climates, in order that the plants may 

 get the full benefit of the sun, I feel almost certain 

 that far better early strawberries could be obtained : 

 the sun would draw out that watery flavour from 

 which they suffer. But it is always hard to induce 

 a cultivator of any nationality to try new methods, 

 and in vain one preaches, and is only met with 

 pitying looks of incredulity and the remark that 



