A RAMBLE IN THE HIGHER ALTITUDES
The Church of Nossa Senhora do Monte is the starting-point of many an
expedition made by those who have a wish to see more of the beauties
of the island than can be done within the restricted area of Funchal.
Should the Metade Valley be the point chosen, or the bleak Pico Ariero,
with its enchanting views, or should the traveller be bent on a longer
tour, and be proposing to make the little village of Santa Anna his
headquarters for seeing the beautiful scenery of the north side of the
island, the road up to a height of some 4,500 feet will be the same.
Gradually the steep path winds its way through the fir woods, which in
the early morning while the dew is still on them, exude a delicious
aromatic scent, and the bushes of the little red _Fuchsia coccinea_
and _Rosa Benghalensis_, with its small double pink flowers, and the
clumps of belladonnas on the banks, which at first give the landscape
the appearance of a ruined garden, are left behind, and the vegetation
changes completely.
The pine woods consist chiefly of plantations of _Pinus maritima_,
or _pinaster_, which have been planted for practical purposes, and
have replaced the more beautiful chestnut woods, which were wantonly
destroyed. These pines, being of rapid growth, are soon cut down, and
provide timber for firewood, garden and vine trellises--in fact, are
strictly utilitarian. The roots and stumps are burnt on the ground, and
then possibly a crop of some sort is sown before the fresh pine seed
is put in. This system has been the means of saving some of the more
valuable and beautiful native trees, which at one time were ruthlessly
felled; and even the forests in the interior, so necessary for the
preservation of the water-sources, were threatened with destruction.
Interspersed with the plantations of pine-trees are broad stretches
of the common broom, which is sown extensively on the mountain-sides,
either for the purpose of being cut down for firing, or to be burnt
on the spot every five or seven years to fertilize the ground, and
cause it to produce a single crop of wheat or batatas. The twigs and
more slender branches are commonly used for making into faggots, and
numbers of country-people, especially young girls and children, within
reach of Funchal gain a scanty and hard-earned living by bringing daily
into the town, often from great distances, bundles of _giesta_, as the
natives call it, to be used for heating ovens and igniting the larger
firewood. Doubtless the species was originally introduced into Madeira,
though it is proved to have existed there for over 150 years, and now
is so extensively diffused that it appears to be perfectly naturalized;
in spring it floods the mountain-sides for miles with seas of its
golden blossoms. The very fine and delicate basket-work peculiar to
Madeira is manufactured from the slender peeled twigs of the broom.
Gradually ascending to the higher altitude, those who can tear their
eyes away from the beautiful view of the Bay of Funchal and the
curiously shaped hills above the villages of Santo Antonio and Santo
Amaro will notice that by the roadside, in the moisture exuding from
between the rocks, the innumerable ferns and the common foxglove,
which at a lower altitude were so abundant, will gradually vanish.
The myrtles, formerly so fine, are now unfortunately becoming almost
scarce, owing to their injudicious destruction for ornamenting churches
and adorning religious processions, after a height of 3,000 feet
are no longer to be seen, and the country gradually becomes barren
of vegetation. Rocks of basalt and red tufa appear, and the long
sweeps of turf are only broken by large bushes of a heath, called, I
believe, _Erica scoparia_, which, from being constantly eaten off by
the mountain sheep and goats, gets a curiously distorted and stunted
growth, though they eventually attain to a large size, and have such
venerable-looking stems that they are suggestive of the dwarfed trees
of the Japanese. Then comes the region of the _Vaccinium Maderense_, or
_padifolium_, which varies in appearance according to the season. In
winter it has crimson foliage, then it bears waxy bell-shaped blossoms,
and in autumn is covered with almost black berries. From the situation
in which it grows, exposed to the full blast of the north wind which
sweeps over that stretch of country, it also has a bent and distorted
appearance; and the dampness of the air--as, more often than not, at
this altitude a white mist envelops the land--causes its stems to be
covered with the _Usnea_ lichen, which waves from one tree to another
like masses of long green hair.
A turn in the road, at an altitude of some 4,800 feet, just beyond
the rest-house at the bleak spot known as the Poizo, reveals a
grand chain of mountains, with deep ravines running down to the sea.
The traveller’s path will wind, in zigzag fashion, down the steep
mountain-side, and gradually the _Vaccinium_ will be left behind and
the beautiful ravine of Ribeiro Frio is entered--thickly wooded with
many varieties of the laurel tribe, which in their turn have their
stems clothed with lichen.
To collectors of wild-flowers and ferns these mountain expeditions
are a never-ending joy, as, according to the different seasons of the
year, innumerable treasures are to be found. A ramble along the many
_levadas_, or water-courses, will well repay the collector, as at
all seasons, ferns, mosses, lichens, lycopodiums, and hosts of other
moisture-loving plants, are to be found; while in June and July, when
the wild-flowers are in all their glory, many rare and interesting
plants will appear. The levada which runs through the Metade Valley was
formerly the home of the _Orchis foliosa_, the orchis known everywhere
as peculiar to Madeira, and its bright purple spikes brightened the
dense masses of green. Of late years the plant has become scarce,
probably ruthlessly uprooted by passers-by, or in order to be offered
for sale in the town of Funchal. In describing this beautiful ravine,
over which towers Pico Ruivo and the Torres, both some 6,000 feet in
height, Miss Taylor, who was a great authority on native ferns, says:
“Many rare and beautiful ferns will be found, growing both close to the
running water and on the mountain-sides above the levada. _Trichomanes
radicans_ and _Hymenophyllum Tunbridgense_ grow in great abundance;
also _Acrostichum squamosum_, _Pteris arguta_, _Asplenium umbrosum_,
_Woodwardia radicans_, and numberless others. Lichens of every sort
and mosses--_Lycopodium suberectum_ and _Selaginella Kraussiana_--seem
to fill up every available space and crevice, and engage the hands and
delight the mind of the collector.”
The more arid path to Ariero will not provide such treasures for the
collector, who must content himself with the views of surpassing
loveliness down to the deep, wooded ravines, which as the shadows begin
to lengthen after midday, grow more mysterious-looking, getting grander
and more beautiful as their deep blue turns to purple; and gradually
the haze, which is certain to come before nightfall, fills the valleys
and blots out the sea beyond. The rare orchis _Goodyera macrophylla_
is said to be found in this district, with its beautiful pure white
spikes, and here and there thickets of a low-growing indigenous,
mountain ash, which in September bears fragrant white flowers, to be
followed by brilliant scarlet berries in early winter.
From just beyond the rest-house at the Poizo a long turf ride of some
four or five miles leads to the Lamaceiros, and is a welcome relief
after clattering over the eternal cobble-stones. A long round, over
country where seas of golden gorse, when it is in bloom, delight the
eye and nose and make a beautiful foreground to the enchanting views,
leads eventually past wooded glens, either over the Portella down to
the village of Santa Cruz, or through the village of Camacha back to
Funchal. A levada near the reservoir at the Pico d’Assoma is again rich
in ferns, and Miss Taylor says: “The lover of ferns will perfectly
revel in the wealth of lovely _Hymenophyllums_ which clothe the stems
of old laurels: here and there a mass of rock, perfectly cushioned with
_Hymenophyllum Tunbridgense_; here and there a carpet of _Hymenophyllum
Wilsoni_ and _Davallia Canariensis_ and _Polypodium vulgare_ growing
in masses on the trees. _Nephrodium Oreopteris_ here grows in great
abundance, the one place besides Pico Canario where it is to be found
in Madeira. _Nephrodium Fraenesecii_ and _Nephrodium dilatatum_ here
grow very large and perfect. The levada is fringed with _Asplenium
monanthemum_, _Cystopteris fragilis_, and countless treasures. In July
the _Orchis foliosa_ blooms in great spikes of bright mauve. In this
neighbourhood _Acrostichum squamosum_ and _Trichomanes radicans_ grow
well.”
Probably nearly every levada in the island would repay exploring, but
some are very inaccessible and require a steady head. One of the most
beautiful is certainly that of the Fajao dos Vinhaticos, which could
disappoint no one, and can be seen by staying at the village of Santa
Anna, or, better still, at the engineer’s house on the levada itself.
On the north side of the island the vegetation is mostly the same. The
rough and precipitous path which winds through the Boa Ventura Valley
up to the Torrinhas Pass is clothed mostly with trees belonging to
the laurel tribe. From the Pass itself some of the grandest views in
the island are to be seen. The grandeur of the rocks and the splendid
vegetation, the profusion of ferns and wild-flowers, hare’s-foot ferns
hanging in long fringes from the stems of the evergreen trees, the
variety of lichens, some of a deep orange colour, make the long ascent
an endless source of delight to lovers of Nature, and, provided the
weather is fine and the valleys free of mist, I know no more beautiful
expedition.
If the traveller is returning to Funchal, he will gradually descend
from this high altitude (close on 6,000 feet), down past the Church
of Nossa Senhora do Livramento (Our Lady of Deliverance), through the
valley of the Grand Curral, up the steep zigzag road opposite, and
back to Funchal through the village of Santo Antonio. The region of
the laurels and ferns, dripping with moisture, is left behind when
the traveller turns his back at the top of the pass on the beautiful
Boa Ventura Valley, and he will gradually return to the region of the
heaths, pine woods, broom, and gorse.
When the village of Santo Antonio is reached, a marked change in the
vegetation will be noticed. There are many Spanish chestnut-trees,
whose fruit, being very popular with the natives, is sold in bushels
in the town in autumn and early winter; and, the district being a
very warm one, on the banks and in the hedgerows by the wayside the
prickly-pear, agaves, and cactus will begin to appear, while large
clumps of pelargoniums, sweet-scented geraniums, and lantanas have
strayed from gardens and sown themselves in every direction. In April
the beautiful _Ornithogalum Arabicum_, bearing its white starry
blossoms with jet-black centres, may be seen growing wild, and I have
been told that the pure white _Lilium candidum_ is to be found in a
wild state, though I have never come across it myself.
Between Santo Antonio and Santo Amaro the earliest strawberries
which are brought into the market in Funchal are grown, making their
appearance in favourable seasons late in February, though at that
season they have little flavour, and generally only find favour in the
eyes of the tourists, who are attracted by their inviting appearance as
they are offered for sale in little fancy baskets. If some enterprising
person would make some experiments with growing the plants on rather
steep banks or slopes, as I have seen done elsewhere in temperate
climates, in order that the plants may get the full benefit of the
sun, I feel almost certain that far better early strawberries could be
obtained: the sun would draw out that watery flavour from which they
suffer. But it is always hard to induce a cultivator of any nationality
to try new methods, and in vain one preaches, and is only met with
pitying looks of incredulity and the remark that the crop, whatever it
happen to be, has always been grown in the same way, however bad a way
it may be, by the present owner, his father and his grandfather before
him, and what was good enough for them is good enough for him.
There are more vines grown here than in any other neighbourhood,
though, in consequence of the numerous attacks of disease--two
scourges having several times threatened to completely destroy the
vineyards: the dreaded Phylloxera insect, which attacks the roots of
the vines, and also _Oïdium Tuckeri_, which settles on the leaves and
fruit--together with the depression in the wine trade, vines are far
less grown than formerly. Being trained over corridors--or _latadas_,
as they are called in Madeira, _pergolas_, as they would be called
in Italy--the effect is not only very pretty, but seems practical,
as, being at a sufficient height from the ground, a labourer can work
underneath them, and it is not uncommon to see another crop growing
between the vines, though this practice of overstocking the ground is
no doubt responsible for the failure of many a crop. The vines are
pruned in February, though not to any great extent, and in April start
into growth, and soon clothe the corridors with fresh young leaves
and long twining tendrils. The flowers come in May, and by August
the vines are laden with fruit ready for the harvest, which in early
seasons begins in the lower regions late in August and continues,
according to the altitude, until October.
The cultivation of vines and bananas, which were also grown at one
time to some considerable extent, has been almost entirely replaced by
that of sugar-cane, which, in consequence of the current rate fixed by
the Government being a very high one, is at the present time a very
profitable crop.
The cultivation of sugar-cane in the island dates from very early
times, as in Cadamosto’s Voyages he writes that he visited the island
in 1445, only twenty-six years after its discovery, and says: “Zargo
caused much sugar-cane to be planted in the island, which has done
well, and from which they have made sugar.” Mr. Yate Johnson says:
“The cane is thought to have been introduced from Sicily about 1425,
at the instance of Prince Henry. The first plantation was made on the
site of the Cathedral, and did so well that the cane spread to other
localities. Matters proceeded so rapidly in those days that in 1453 a
mill was erected for crushing the canes by means of water-power....
Prince Henry was a good business man, and knew what he was about
in making a bargain, for it was stipulated that he should receive
one-third of all the sugar produced. Another stipulation was that the
mill was to be placed where it would not be an annoyance to others,
a regulation which, it is to be regretted, is not enforced at the
present day. It is not known where this first mill was built, but it is
more likely to have been in Funchal than anywhere else.” By 1498 the
production of sugar is said to have increased to a very large extent,
and then came troubles in the trade. The introduction of the cane to
the West Indies and its extensive cultivation there caused increasing
competition in European markets, and led to a heavy fall in price;
but notwithstanding this, the cane continued to increase in Madeira,
and by the end of the fifteenth century a large number of slaves were
employed, both as labourers on the land and in the mills, which by now
had increased in number to 120, on the southern side of the island.
Early in the sixteenth century disease came, in the form of a grub
which eats into the cane, and the plantations suffered severely
from its ravages, though many attempts were made to check its
depredations. Possibly this, combined with the abundant production in
the West Indies, caused the sugar-growing in Madeira to become so
unprofitable that the mills dwindled down to only three in number,
and the cultivation of vines for a time reigned supreme. This, in its
turn, received so severe a check through the grape diseases in 1852,
that the cane was once more restored to favour and again extensively
planted. The cultivation increased, and new crushing machinery was
imported from England; steam-power replaced the more primitive methods
of water-power, or working the mills with bullocks only. After the
revival, for a time the cane was only used for its juice, to be
distilled into spirit (_aquardente_), but gradually, new sugar-making
machinery having been imported, its manufacture was resumed and
continued, until it has now reached the vast amount of about 2,500 tons
per annum.
Different kinds of cane have been introduced, and if the cultivation is
to be continued at the present enormous extent, artificial manures will
have to be largely employed to prevent the soil becoming exhausted.
The cane--I may say luckily--cannot be grown above an altitude of
about 1,700 feet, or it would seem as if there would be no end to its
cultivation, which by no means adds to the beauty of the island, and to
my mind is an unsightly crop.
[Illustration: RED ALOES]