R. T. LOWE — FRUITS AND VEGETABLES OE MADEIRA, ETC. 177 



of a large Walnut, appeared to be half-ripe in the middle of 

 March, being sweet through still quite hard. The tree is very 

 thickly bushy and leafy, resembling an Orange-tree in size and 

 shape. The fruit is much esteemed. It will not grow in either 

 Madeira or the Canaries. 



Oleacm. 



106. Olea EUROP2EA L. A few Olive-trees occur occasionally 

 in gardens here and there in each of the three groups of islands ; 

 and a mostly shrubby variety with globose fruit is also found wild 

 in Madeira and the Canaries. jSTo use is made, however, of the 

 plant in either state. 



CoNVOLVULACEyE. 



107. Batata edulis (Thunb.). The Sweet Potato ("Batata" 

 of Madeira, the Canaries, and Cape Verdes, " Batata doce " of 

 Lisbon) is extensively cultivated in fields and garden-ground in 

 all these islands, especially Madeira. The opportune introduction 

 into the latter island fifteen or twenty years ago of the Demerara 

 variety, producing annually two or three crops instead of one, 

 helped greatly to alleviate the temporary distress caused first by 

 the outbreak of the potato-disease, and afterwards continued by 

 the destruction of the vines in 1852 and onwards. This more 

 quickly and abundantly productive variety has now almost entirely 

 superseded the culture of the old sort, though its tubers are less 

 meaty and agreeable. 



The Batata is propagated by planting thickly, in shallow trenches 

 G or 8 inches deep, with manure at the bottom, cuttings from 1 to 

 3 feet long of the trailing wiry stems or branches. These or the 

 greater part of them soon root and form tubers, which are ready 

 for use in three or four months' time in the Demerara sort, whereas 

 in the old kind they required five or six months to arrive at 

 maturity. There are two subvarieties, viz. the "white," of a 

 white, more firm or mealy substance, and the " red," with a softer, 

 more w f atery, yellow, pulpy flesh. 



Solanaceje. 



108. Ltcopersicum cerasiforme Dun. and 



109. L. esculentum Mill. Both of these, the small round- 

 fruited and large melon- or pumpkin- shaped Tomatos, are rather 

 naturalized than cultivated in all the islands. In St. Iago of the 

 Cape Yerdes whole mountain-tracts or elevated plains of the 

 interior are covered for miles towards Sta. Catharina with dense 



vol. i. s 



