ith trees, and that they were gradually
sacrificed to meet the demand for fuel and for other purposes. The
cultivation of shade trees about the villages would add an element of
beauty, and would afford needed shade, besides promoting a more liberal
rainfall, which is so very limited here. Some of the Grand Masters have
done much by their personal efforts to induce the planting of fruit and
ornamental trees in and about the city. Several of the squares are thus
beautified, the trees forming an agreeable shade where in midsummer the
glare is almost intolerable in exposed places.

A modern survey shows the circumference of Gozo to be a trifle less than
twenty-five miles. It has been famous from time immemorial for the large
amount and the delicious quality of the honey which its inhabitants send
to market. The thriving fields of red-flowering clover, which is called
_sulla_ by the natives, and which grows to an average height of three
and a half feet, together with an abundance of wild thyme and purple
blooming vetch, afford rich food for the industrious bees and the gaudy
butterflies, "Yellow bees, so mad for love of early-blooming flowers."
The peculiar clover of which we speak is indigenous, and a well-grown
field, each upright stem surmounted by a large crimson flower, looks
more like cultivated roses than simple clover blossoms. When the breeze
sweeps gently over these fields, the eye is delighted by broad waves of
rich color rising and falling in the warm sunshine, while an
indescribable, ripe, harvest smell permeates the atmosphere. The
geranium grows to a mammoth size on this island, and tall, dense, and
secure hedges of it are not uncommon. In full bloom these form a most
striking feature of the landscape, as peculiar as the agave hedges of
Mexico. The former, when wearing their full-dress of scarlet, seem like
a fiery cordon drawn about the spacious area thus inclosed. The latter,
with their pale blue-green sword-like leaves, are as repellent as a line
of fixed bayonets, and absolutely impervious to man or beast. The byways
of the northwestern part of Gozo are delightful, verdant, and pastoral,
while the air is redolent of clover, violets, and hedge roses.

One of the ancient titles of this island was Melita, a name which is
believed to be derived from the excellent honey which it has always
produced. We can honestly testify to the delightful aromatic flavor of
this delicate article. Truly, it is a land flowing w