Beeing vsed according to his
kinde it maketh a very good bread. Wee made of the same in the countrey
some mault, whereof was brued as good ale as was to bee desired. So
likewise by the help of hops therof may bee made as good Beere. It is a
graine of marueilous great increase; of a thousand, fifteene hundred and
some two thousand fold. There are three sortes, of which two are ripe in
an eleuen and twelue weekes at the most: sometimes in ten, after the
time they are set, and are then of height in stalke about sixe or seuen
foote. The other sort is ripe in fourteene, and is about ten foote high,
of the stalkes some beare foure heads, some three, some one, and two:
euery head cotaining fiue, sixe, or seue hundred graines within a fewe
more or lesse. Of these graines besides bread, the inhabitants make
victuall eyther by parching them; or seething them whole vntill
they be broken; or boyling the floure with water into a pappe.
'Okindgier', called by vs 'Beanes', because in greatnesse & partly in
shape they are like to the Beanes in England; sauing that they are
flatter, of more diuers colours, and some pide. The leafe also of the
stemme is much different. In taste they are altogether as good as our
English peaze.
'Wickonzowr', called by vs 'Peaze', in respect of the beanes for
distinction sake, because they are much lesse; although in forme they
little differ; but in goodnesse of tast much, & are far better then our
English peaze. Both the beanes and peaze are ripe in tenne weekes after
they are set. They make them victuall either by boyling them all to
pieces into a broth; or boiling them whole vntill they bee soft and
beginne to breake as is vsed in England, eyther by themselues or mixtly
together: Sometime they mingle of the wheate with them. Sometime also
beeing whole soddeu, they bruse or pound them in a morter, & thereof
make loaues or lumps of dowishe bread, which they vse to eat for
varietie.
'Macocqwer', according to their seuerall formes called by vs,
'Pompions', 'Mellions', and 'Gourdes', because they are of the like
formes as those kindes in England. In 'Virginia' such of seuerall formes
are of one taste and very good, and do also spring from one seed. There
are of two sorts; one is ripe in the space of a moneth, and the other in
two moneths.
There is an hearbe which in Dutch is called 'Melden'. Some of those that
I describe it vnto, take it to be a kinde of Orage; it groweth about
foure or fiue foote high: of the seede thereof they make a thicke broth,
and pottage of a very good taste: of the stalke by burning into ashes
they make a kinde of salt earth, wherewithall many vse sometimes to
season their brothes; other salte they knowe not. Wee our selues, vsed
the leaues also for pothearbes.
There is also another great hearbe in forme of a Marigolde, about sixe
foote in height; the head with the floure is a spanne in breadth. Some
take it to bee 'Planta Solis': of the seedes heereof they make both a
kinde of bread and broth.
All the aforesaid commodities for victuall are set or sowed, sometimes
in groundes a part and seuerally by themselues; but for the most part
together in one ground mixtly: the manner thereof with the dressing and
preparing of the groud, because I will note vnto you the fertilitie of
the soile; I thinke good briefly to describe.
The ground they neuer fatten with mucke, dounge or any other thing;
neither plow nor digge it as we in England, but onely prepare it in sort
as followeth. A fewe daies before they sowe or set, the men with wooden
instruments, made almost in forme of mattockes or hoes with long
handles; the women with short peckers or parers, because they vse them
sitting, of a foote long and about fiue inches in breadth: doe onely
breake the vpper part of the ground to rayse vp the weedes, grasse, &
old stubbes of corne stalkes with their rootes. The which after a day or
twoes [drying] drying in the Sunne, being scrapte vp into many small
heapes, to saue them labour for carrying them away; they burne into
ashes. ( And whereas some may thinke that they vse the ashes for to
better the grounde; I say that then they woulde eyther disperse the
ashes abroade; which wee obserued they doe not, except the heapes bee
too great: or els would take speciall care to set their corne where the
ashes lie, which also wee finde they are carelesse of.) And this is all
the husbanding of their ground that they vse.
Then their setting or sowing is after this maner. First for their corne,
beginning in one corner of the plot, with a pecker they make a hole,
wherein they put foure graines with that care they touch not one
another, (about an inch asunder) and couer them with the moulde againe:
and so through out the whole plot, making such holes and vsing them
after such maner: but with this regard that they bee made in rakes,
euery ranke differing from other halfe a fadome or a yarde, and the
holes also in euery ranke, as much. By this meanes there is a yarde
spare ground betwene euery hole: where according to discretion here and
there, they set as many Beanes and Peaze: in diuers places also among
the seedes of 'Macocqwer', 'Melden' and 'Planta Solis'.
The ground being thus set according to the rate by vs experimented, an
English Acre conteining fourtie pearches in length, and foure in
breadth, doeth there yeeld in croppe or ofcome of corne, beanes, and
peaze, at the least two hudred London bushelles:
