PRODUCE 
127 
Madagascar is not poor in fruit trees. The citron grows 
wild, but its fruit has a somewhat bitter taste; the oranges, 
on the other hand, are of unsurpassed delicacy. They 
are largely exported to Reunion and Mauritius, but only 
keep for a short time owing to their thin rinds. The 
mango, of which there are numerous plantations, especially 
in north Madagascar, yields rich returns. Near Vohemar 
and on the islands of Ste. Marie and Nossi-Be I saw groups 
of mango trees of a most picturesque appearance, and 
vying in size with the mightiest oaks of our forests. 
Although the flying foxes plunder the fruit every evening, 
the crop is produced in such a quantity that the over¬ 
plus is often used for feeding swine. Guavas, peaches, 
and even grapes are often raised, while the banana planta¬ 
tions frequently met with in the villages of the in¬ 
terior are especially productive. Quite small bananas 
are gathered side by side with the larger varieties. The 
largest of these, called Ontsy, is a foot in length. The 
fruit has a soft agreeable pulp and a light yellow husk 
with black spots. 
The breeding of domestic animals is very important, 
not only among the Hova and Betsileo, but also among 
the Sihanaka and Sakalava of the west coast. It is, 
however, almost entirely limited to horned cattle. The 
rich grass plains are specially suitable for meadow land, 
and many graziers possess as much as a hundred head 
of cattle. Some rich natives have as many as two or 
three thousand. 
The Madagascar cattle belong to the humped or Zebu 
kind. They appear to be somewhat low on their legs and 
the fat hump is of considerable size. The colour varies; 
side by side with milk-white and quite black cattle, 
beasts dappled with red are frequently seen. I have 
recently been endeavouring to ascertain their racial con¬ 
nexions and their descent, by examination of a good 
number of skulls, and am driven to the conclusion that 
