Market-Gardening in the Seilly Islands. 
22 I 
It would be difficult to find land anywhere so bursting with life 
and growth as that of the Scilly Islands ; and were it not for the 
occasional want of rain, and the too great prevalence of gales, there 
would be no limit to its productiveness. The temperature is never 
intensely hot in Summer, nor intensely cold in Winter. 
The soil of the Islands is composed mostly of decomposed granite 
and peat ; here and there it is as black as soot. The very rich land 
seems to run in veins, while other has good rich soil for some dis- 
tance down, till it touches the cold white clay. The soil is very 
loose, and drinks greedily every drop of rain : it will not refuse "a 
shower every day, and two on Sundays." The rainfall is quite 
different here from the mainland : the average in Middlesex is 24 
inches, in Scilly 31 inches, and in Cornwall it is 44 inches. Scilly 
would be glad of an incli a week. The soil, good as it is, lacks phos- 
phate of lime and ammonia, both of which can, fortunately, be 
supplied in a great measure by the seaweed- manure. 
The method here of making seaweed-manure is to make a bottom, 
or foundation, of earth. On this the seaweed is spread, and covered 
with a layer of sand ; after a month or two, the juices have pene- 
trated the earth, which is then ready to be carted away, and laid on 
the soil. The people use a peculiar-looking instrument for cutting 
through the seaweed-manure. It has a blade 8 inches long and 
7 inches wide. If the seaweed be driven in when potatoes are to be 
planted, it is put straight on the earth, and often worked in by the 
plough, and the potatoes 1 planted in at once ; then the soil and sea- 
weed mixed are turned over on the potatoes. In Scilly the potatoes 
are planted much nearer the surface than on the mainland ; if they 
were so planted on the "main," they would be destroyed by frost. 
Kelp-making was once an industry here to a large extent, but it 
has completely died out. Masses of seaweed were cut from the 
rocks, and dried. It was then cast into large pits, and burnt until 
it was reduced to a liquid state, when it was stirred with long iron 
prongs, and allowed to cool. The agent used to take it off the 
people's hands for rent, and ship it to the soap-boilers on the main- 
land at a considerable profit. After a time, however, it became 
adulterated with sand ; and this, with the discovery of other alkalies, 
destroyed the sale altogether. 
The surface is divided into farms, some large, some small. 
St. Mary's, the largest island, contains . 
Tresco is farmed principally by Mr." 
Dorrien Smith, the Lord Proprietor. 
There are, beside, one or two small 
farms on it . 
Bryher contaius . 
St. Martin's contains .... 
St. Agnes contains ..... 
Total .... 
Pnpula- 
Acres 
Number 
tion 
of Farm? 
1,290 
1,527 
52 
325 
823 
3 
103 
300 
17 
175 
520 
22 
148 
390 
14 
2,041 
3,560 
108 
Potatoes planted in fresh seaweed are waxy. 
