78 



Sir W. Reid lias conferred great benefits on the 

 tillers of the soil. The annual yield of cummin, which 

 is valued at about 2,200, and which is mostly 

 exported, averages from 70 to 80 tons. Malta has 

 two crops of potatoes per annum, which produced 

 some years ago about 800 tons. Increased atten- 

 tion has of late been paid to this useful vegetable. 

 English potatoes degenerate after the second year. 

 The kidney variety has been most successfully grown, 

 and bids fair to supersede all others, as the pro- 

 duce though less in quantity commands double prices. 

 Many sacks of potatoes are annually exported. 



Market gardening has somewhat diminished in 

 extent since the appropriation by the public aque- 

 ducts of many of the springs, but is still an important 

 branch of industry. The carouba tree is abundant, 

 growing on rocky soil, and its dark foliage is a 

 conspicuous feature in the landscape. It attains a 

 considerable size, and its seed-pods and leaves are used 

 for feeding cattle and horses. Poor people also 

 eat the seed- pods, which when baked, are said to 

 be not unpalatable. Tanks and cisterns are to be 

 found in almost every field and garden, and are 

 indispensable to the gardener or agriculturist. The 

 ornamental plants of Malta are very beautiful and 

 abundant. Amongst them we may enumerate roses, 

 which speedily assimilate to the Maltese type, a- 

 nemones, violets, hyacinths, geraniums, the vanilla, 

 jessamine, tuberose, heliotrope, oleander, and many 



