Excerpt from Madagascar, Vol. 2: An Historical and Descriptive Account of the Island and Its Former Dependencies There is no doubt whatever that the soil of Madagascar has been overpraised. Those who have practically tested its sugar-growing powers on some of the choicest portions of the eastern sea-board report that in a very short time its fertility begins to wane and needs to be artificially renewed. The rapidity with which certain well-adapted forms of vegetation spring up luxuriantly is due rather to the abundant rain of the wet season and to a tropical sun than to any special rich ness of the land. Where the latter is absolutely necessary to profitable production, Madagascar will be found wanting. All this, however, is far from being intended to imply that the island does not offer a promising field for the employ ment of European capital. Rice is produced in Imerina in enormous quantities, but the wants of the population are equally great, and are yearly approaching the limits of possible supply. Better means of transport, therefore, would not develop a trade in this article in the neighbourhood of the capital. There lies, however, to the north of Imerina, in the Sihanaka province, an immense tract of swampy country which is capable of bearing rice to almost any extent. About the same distance from Antananarivo to the south again, in the Betsileo country, there are similar natural advantages awaiting employment. Madagascar rice is of undeniably good quality. That of Carolina comes from the same stock, seed having been taken from this country to Charleston in the year 1696 (consular Report). About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.