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Clarissa Kimberx University of California, Riverside Dooryard Gardens of Martinique Dooryard gardens as human constructs are assemblages of plants about a dwelling which reveal much of the culture history of places and of management decisions by individual holders. The gardens satisfy some requirements for food, fiber, medicine, and construction ; they consume much labor as a factor of production; they provide places for recreation during leisure periods and aesthetic experiences for those who plant and maintain them. Few investigations have been made of the distribution, morphology , or floristic composition of dooryard gardens. Nor do we have analyses of their function in supplying dietary and other needs. It would seem that aside from Simoons' study of two Ethiopian gardens ,2 no attempt has been made to use gardens as indicators of diverse value systems. The remarks in this paper are part of an effort to interpret field evidence gathered in dooryard gardens of rural Martinique, EWL, together with reflections on the scant references in the literature. In this discussion, gardens from different parts of the island (Figure 1) illustrate similarities and differences in morphology, intended use, and in management practices of the 1 Field work for this study was carried out under National Academy of Sciences Contract Nonr-2300(09) Subcontract No. 55. Analysis of the data and related research activities were facilitated by Intramural Research Grant #5109, University of California , Academic Senate, Riverside Division. Maps were prepared with funds furnished by the Latin American Research Program, University of California, Riverside. 2 Frederick J. Simoons, "Two Ethiopian Gardens," in Landscape, Spring 1965, pp. 15-20. 97 98ASSOCIATION OF PACIFIC COAST GEOGRAPHERS cultivators of those gardens. Field data have been interpreted to suggest the origins of these constructs and their contribution to an understanding of the cultural geography of the island. Gardens and Land Ownership Distribution of gardens Dooryard gardens dominate the landscape in some regions of Martinique. Mixed planted and spontaneous vegetation3 in the hill country behind St. Esprit and in the Montagne Vauclin (Figure 2) is a function of the large number of gardens in this section of dispersed rural settlement which was opened up after the emancipation of slavery in 1848. So completely dominant are dooryard gardens and provisions gardens4 in the Ajoupa-Bouillon area that today most of the vegetative cover is planted. Only remnants of the rainforest are left. In the Morne Vert region the presence of planted fields and gardens gives the landscape a domesticated character. Generally dooryard gardens are important elements in the landscape in all areas with high rural densities although other vegetation types may dominate. Gardens are also found in towns, even in the capital city, but it would seem that this culture complex was brought into the town by immigrants from rural areas. Land ownership Most of the lands in dooryard gardens are free-hold plots. However , family ownership of land, one consequence of the inheritance pattern under the Code Napoleon, frequendy confuses title and provides for intrafamilial bickering over planting, tending, and especially harvesting. As with other islands of the Lesser Antilles, the cadastral situation is chaotic. The amount of land now registered in a commune frequently exceeds its actual area. Since 1958, the Service du Cadastre has been carefully surveying the properties within each commune. This time consuming and emotionally charged activity is proceeding slowly. When it is completed, more accurate estimates of areas dominated by dooryard gardens may be made. 3 Spontaneous vegetation includes all the plant cover which is not planted vegetation . 4 Provisions gardens are those gardens cultivated expressly for the commercial production of vegetables, flowers, and fruits. VOLUME 281 YEARBOOK i 1966 99 Figure 1. Location of three dooryard gardens in Martinique , French West Indies. vm LA MARTINIQUE Fori-ß·-Frane· THREE DOORYARD GARDENS¦ GARDENSf CAPITAL \ ?? Areas with High Rural Densities Contour Levels Figure 2. Areas with high rural densities, Martinique. 100ASSOCIATION OF PACIFIC COAST GEOGRAPHERS Description of Three Gardens In the spring and summer of 1963, three gardens from different ecological zones of the Caribbean volcanic island of Martinique were mapped with the aid of their owners. One is from the south coast at Diamant within the dry belt, the others from the interior: Grande Savanne on...

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