34 TRAVELS IN 
alone appeared to me to be delicious ; cherries 
are fcarce and bad; pears and apples are not 
much better, and foon fpoil. The citrons, 
however, and the oranges, efpecially that kind 
called nareteyes^ are excellent : the figs are de- 
licate and whokfome ; but the fmall banana, 
ox p'tfang^ has a bad tafte. Is it not aftonifh- 
ing that in fo fine a country, and under fo 
pure a fky, if we except a few difmal bays, 
no indigenous fruits are to be found ? Afpa- 
ragus and artichokes do not grow at the Cape, 
but all the other produdtions of our kitchen- 
gardens in Europe feem to be naturalized : 
one might enjoy them the whole year, did 
not the fouth-eafl wind, which prevails for 
three months, dry the earth to fuch a degree 
as to render it incapable of every kind of cul- 
tivation ; it blows with fuch fury, that it is 
neceffary, in order to preferve plants, to fur- 
round all the beds of a garden with clofe pa- 
lifades mad€ of young elms. The fame me- 
thod is purfued with refpefl: to young trees ; 
which, notwithftanding thefe precautions, ne- 
ver fhoot forth branches on the windward 
; fide ; and always incline to the other, which 
gives them a difmal appearance : in general^ 
it is very difficult to rear them. 
I have 
