the mainland. Sometimes the island site is abandoned altogether and the
colony transferred to the mainland. The ancient Greek colony of Cyrene
had an initial existence on the island of Platea just off the Libyan
coast, but, not flourishing there, was moved after an interval of
several years to the African mainland, where "the sky was perforated" by
the mountains of Barca.[963] De Monts' colony was removed from its
island to Port Royal in Nova Scotia.

[Sidenote: Precocious development of island agriculture.]

Where an island offers in its climate and soil conditions favorable to
agriculture, tillage begins early to assume an intensive, scientific
character, to supply the increasing demand for food. The land, fixed in
the amount of area, must be made elastic in its productivity by the
application of intelligence and industry. Hence in island habitats, an
early development of agriculture, accompanied by a parallel skill in
exploiting the food resources of the sea, is a prevailing feature. In
Oceanica, agriculture is everywhere indigenous, but shows greatest
progress in islands like Tonga and Fiji, where climate and soil are
neither lavish nor niggardly in their gifts, but yield a due return for
the labor of tillage. The Society[964] and Samoan Islands, where nature
has been more prodigal, rank lower in agriculture, though George Forster
found in Tahiti a relatively high degree of cultivation.[965] The small,
rocky, coralline Paumotas rank lower still, but even here plantains,
sugar-cane, sweet potatoes, yams, taro and solanum are raised. The
crowded atolls of the Gilbert group show pains-taking tillage. Here we
find coco-palms with their roots fertilized with powdered pumice, and
taro cultivated in trenches excavated for the purpose and located near
the lagoons, so that the water may percolate through the coral sand to
the thirsty roots.[966] To lonely Easter Isle nature has applied a
relentless lash. At the time of Cook's visit it was woodless and
boatless except for one rickety canoe, and therefore was almost excluded
from the food supplies of the sea. Hence its destitute natives, by means
of careful and often ingenious tillage, made its parched and rocky
slopes support excellent plantations of bananas and sugar-cane.[967]

The islands of Melanesia show generally fenced fields, terrace farming
on mountain sides, irrigation canals, fertilized soils, well trimmed
shade trees and beautiful flower gardens,[968] proof that