26 
an active breed of dogs, of the fox kind, with small 
short ears, long noses, and reddish hair, which are 
very useful to give the alarm; but they seldom dare 
to attack the swine, who are generally headed by 
an old one of some years standing, and, consequently, 
with large tusks. A Madagascar farmer never goes 
out without his musket or spear, that he may be 
prepared for these savage animals. 
We have before observed, that no other manure 
than wood ashes is used ; nor is any other necessary. 
In such a country, where the proportion of good land 
is so great, compared with the population, it is unne¬ 
cessary to occupy one piece of ground many successive 
years; so that fresh land, of the finest quality, may 
be brought into cultivation every year, if requisite. 
Nor is this all: the great accumulation of vegetable 
matter, which the warmth of the climate continually 
throws up, forms a rich manure of itself, (especially 
if fed off, or trodden dowm by the large herds of sheep 
and oxen which rove unconstrained over the country,) 
and thus furnishes fresh stamina for a new produce. 
It is well known, that in America, many large tracts 
of land, which have been cultivated for upwards of a 
century, have never required manure, but year after 
year produce the most abundant crops.* 
Around the dwellings of the farmers are to be seen 
fowls of every description, large quantities of which are 
* This appears strange to an English farmer, who, if he 
neglect to manure his land, for at least every other crop, looks 
