They had a strange way to make their Cazari Cakes of the Root Juca, which keep good a year: They first press’d out the Juice with great Weights, which if drunk raw, occasions sudden Death; but boyl’d, is pallatable and good.
Potato’s are here in great abundance, and grow like Artichokes in a moist Soil, and shoot forth Leaves of a dark-green Colour, like Spinage; they spread upon the Earth by Stalks, and bear a Flower like a Bell, at the end of which grows the Seed: the Roots are generally White, but sometimes Red, Marble-colour’d, Yellow, and Violet; they are not onely pleasing to the Pallat, but accounted very wholsom when stew’d in a close cover’d Pot, with a little Water.
But much daintier are the Ananas, which grow on a Stalk of a Foot long, surrounded with sixteen large sharp Leaves, between which grows a Fruit like a Pine-Apple, but much bigger, with an uneven Rind, of a pale Green, and inclining to a Carnation on a yellow Ground; on the top shoots out a red Bunch of Leaves and Flowers; the innermost Pulp melts on the Tongue, and is of so delicious a taste, that it exceeds all other Dainties; the Seed produces Fruit once.
Of this Fruit there are several sorts, the chief whereof is accounted a special Remedy against a bad Stomach, Gravel, Poyson, and Melancholy.
The Drink made of Ananas is no way inferior to Malvasia Wine.
A sort of sensitive Plant.
Here you may observe a remarkable Secret of Nature in a certain ever-green Plant, which grows either on the Bodies of old Trees, on the Rocks, or in the Woods; the Stalk whereof surrounded with Leaves, full of dark red Spots, bears a sweet-smelling Violet-colour’d Flower, the Leaves whereof as soon as touch’d, close up together and die, and according as they are held in the Hand a shorter or longer time, this strange alteration continues.
Ginger.
Since the Spaniards planted Ginger on Jamaica, it hath grown there in great abundance; the Male Plant (for it is divided into Male and Female) hath generally bigger Leaves than the Female; the Stalks, which are without Knots, have more Leaves upwards than downwards, and spreads along the Earth, still take Root anew; when the Leaves wither, then the Ginger is commonly ripe, but it hath not that poinancy whilest green as when dry’d.
Cotton.