[ c h a p . 1,
ascent, not to harass our miilos so early in the
journey.
The road Avas dreary and tantalizing. We kneAA^
th a t it Avas bordered by lovely orange-groves, the last
of the fragrant flowers ju s t passing over, and the
young fru it beginning to swell, and usually about
the size ot a h a z e l-n u t; but of this we saAV nothing;
our laborious climb Avas betAveen tAvo hot black AAxalk
of rough blocks of lava, nine to ten feet high. As a
partial relief, hoAvever, a ta ll hedge of evergreen
trees planted close AAdtliin the Avails rose high above
them, and threw enough of shade to checker the
glare on the dusty road beneath.
In the Acores at one time the orange-trees,
Avhich seem to have been introduced shortly after
the discovery of the islands, were planted at a
distnnce from one another, and allowed to attain
their full size and n a tu ra l form. Under this
system some of the varieties formed noble trees
Avith trunks eighteen inches in diameter. The
wind-storms are, hoAvever, frequently very violent
111 Avinter, and often Avlieii the fru it Avas nearly
ripe, the best pa rt of a crop was lost, and the trees
themselves greatly ijijured and broken by a south-
Avesterly gale. Experience has uoav sIioavii th a t larger
crops may he procured with much greater certainty
by dwarfing and sheltering the trees, and it has
now become a nearly universal practice to surround
the rectangular orchards or gardens, there called
‘ quintas,’ Avith a lava Avail; and further, to break the
wind still more effectually, to plant within the wall a
hedge of quickly-groAving evergreen trees, Avhich is
allowed to overtop it hy tAA^enty feet or so, and to
scatter tall evergreens wherever there is a clear space
among the orange-trees, Avhicli are pruned and regu-
1 ated so as to keep Avell heloAV their level.
These tall hedges, intersecting the country in all
directions, have a peculiar but rather agreeable effect.
Almost all the hedge-plants are of a bright lively
green. The one most used is Myrica fayci, a native
plant, Avhich groAVs very abundantly on all the
uplands, and seems to be regarded as a kind of badge
in the islands, as its relation Myrica gale is in the
Avest highlands of Scotland. Two other native plants,
Laurus canariensis and Persea inclica, are sometimes
employed, but they are supposed to aifect the soil
prejudicially. Of late years a very elegant Japanese
shrub, PUtosporum imdulatum, Avhicli Avas originally
introduced from England, has become Avidely used as
a sheltei-plant, and an allied species, Pittospjorum
tohira, is found to thrive aa'cII in quintas exjoosed to
the sea-breeze.
It is needless to say th a t the culture of the orange
is the main industry of San Miguel, and tliat the
wonderful perfection at which th is delicious fru it
arrives has been sufficient to give the island an
advantage over places less remote, and to ensure a
reasonable amount of Avealth to the owners of the
ground. ^ The cultivation of the orange is simple and
inexpensive. The soil formed by the Avearing down
of the^ volcanic rocks is, as a rule, originally rich.
It is inclosed and worked for a year or two, and
young plants of good varieties, from layers or grafts,
are planted at distances of eight or ten yards. Stroim’
plants from layers begin to fruit in two or three
years. They come into full bearing in from ciG-lit to