BOTANY OF THE LACCADIVES. 
17 
to six or eight feet, and has a bare sandy surface, which gets wind¬ 
blown unless covered with undergrowth; where the soil is under 
coco-nut or other cultivation this sand is hidden by the humus, of 
variable thickness and richness, that has accumulated. Underneath 
this surface soil of sand and humus is the bed of coral-rock 
already mentioned in the account of Bitrapar. This layer, a 
foot to two feet thick, appears to be just above water-level and 
stretches uniformly throughout the island. Underneath this layer 
lies a bed of wet sand and when the crust is cut through and well 
or small tanks are dug in the damp subsoil the people obtain a 
constant supply of water, slightly brackish but still potable, except 
in the case of Bitra, where, as has been already said, the wells yield 
water which is quite salt. The water in these tanks and wells rises 
and falls a little with the tide. 
In the middle of Aradni, however, unlike any of the islands yet 
described, the upper soil and the coral-crust have been completely 
removed from about 50 acres of ground, the surface of the soil 
thus left being hardly above the level of the sea. This carefully 
prepared area, termed locally the kat, has a poor, light, sandy soil, 
but is fertile on account of having the subsoil water within a 
foot or so of its surface. This kat is reserved practically 
for the cultivation of grain and vegetables. “ The 
'‘coco-nut trees planted in or about its edges are exceedingly 
“ fine * the Bread-fruit rees, which are numerous in Ameni, 
grow most luxuriantly here, while considerable numbers of 
Betel-nut trees occupy the same situation. The cultivated plants 
enumerated by Mr. Robinson include, besides the coco-nut, betel- 
nut and bread-fruit, the ragi {Eleusine Goracana), jowdri [Sorghum 
vulgare)i hadag [Setaria verticillata)^ Sweet-Potato, Yam, Plantain, 
Castor-oilplant (cultivated for its oil) andAnatto (grown for its dye, 
Several hundredweights of fruit of Bixa Orellana being annually 
exported to Malabar); the Lime is also mentioned by him as being of 
excellent quality and the trees as numerous. In addition to these 
Mr. Hume mentions the Pomegranate, Papaya, and Horse-radish 
tree as common ; he observed also some Banyans, some Tamarind 
3 £ L 
Robinson, " Madr, Journ.,” voL. xiv , p. 18. 
317 
