THE ARAB IMMIGRATION INTO SOUTH-EAST MADAGASCAR. 343 
a tract of bush or forest; and then, with a pointed stick, 
holes are made in the cleared ground, and one or two grains 
of rice are dropped in each hole. This sowing takes place 
in January or February, and produces rice having a large 
and beautifully white grain, but softer and much _ less 
nourishing than that grown under water; and although 
fetching a better price in the market for export, it is less 
esteemed as a food supply by the natives than the redder 
grained rice of the marshes. 
The productiveness of the soil, assisted by the greater heat 
and heavier rainfall, is seen in the fact that the manioc, 
which takes a couple of years at least to come to perfection 
in Imérina, is ripe in Matitanana three months after the slips 
have been planted. 
A plentiful supply of fruit of good quality is produced in 
the district, and many introduced fruits flourish. Beside the 
bananas, mangoes, pineapples, and guavas that grow in 
abundance along the road-sides, grapes, oranges, lemons, and 
limes, large and luscious, are to be found in several parts of 
the province, and cocoa-nuts thrive on the coast. The rofia 
palm in the forests, and the haréfo rush in the swamps, supply 
the materials for dress and sleeping mats, while the 
traveller’s-trees, the bamboo, and the pandanus furnish all 
that is necessary for their unsubstantial houses, and for their 
plates and spoons. 
The rivers abound in fish, and an additional large supply 
is obtained by the people from the sea, which they navigate 
in boats of a peculiar construction, which effectually 
surmount the difficulties of the surf and high rollers, 
although to an English eye they appear most flimsy and 
unsafe. The keel is made very deep and long, ending in a 
high and peculiarly shaped prow, which extends some 
distance beyond the boat itself. No ribs are used, but the 
planks, after being bent into the requisite shape by the heat 
of the sun, are tied in position with withes or creepers. A 
few thwarts are introduced, also tied into their places; a 
step is made for a mast; a square sail is formed of plaited 
rushes or strips of pandanus Jeaves; and this crazy craft is 
rendered fit for sea by having its large seams caulked with 
fibre from the bark of one of the forest trees. The boat, 
which is about 14 feet long, carries a crew of eight: six men 
paddle, one steers, and one, whose office is no sinecure, bales 
out. When a sufficient offing is obtained, the paddlers let 
down their lines, and the fish caught, generally a fairly good 
