There are a great variety of grasses to be met with in Antigua, the principal of which are—the Guinea-grass, cent. per cent. grass, (panicum colonum,) devil-grass, (cynodon dactylon,) and nut-grass, (cyperus hydra.) The Guinea-grass was introduced into the West Indies, from the coast of Guinea, as its name declares. Jamaica was the first island in which it was propagated, and that by mere accident. The seed of this species of herbage was brought from Africa, as food for some curious birds, natives of that clime, which the captain of a slaver intended to convey to Jamaica as a present. Soon after their arrival, the birds died, and the seed was thrown away as useless. It, however, took root, and flourished surprisingly. The cattle grazing in that part of the island found it out, and eagerly feasted upon it, which being perceived by the planters, the remaining roots were protected for seedlings, and thus the growth of this species was established, and finally distributed throughout the other islands, where it now ranks among the most esteemed of grasses.
The different species of grain propagated in Antigua are the Indian Corn, or Maize, and the Guinea Corn—both of them included in the botanical name, Zea. The Indian corn rises to the height of about five or six feet; the leaves are eleven or twelve inches long, and two broad, with the edges deeply serrated. The corn, when ripe, is of a bright golden colour, and the ear is covered with a brown silken substance, and then enwrapped in a husk composed of many leaf-like envelopes, which are dried and used by the negroes for stuffing their beds.
The Guinea corn attains the height of about seven or eight feet; the stalk is about the thickness of a small rattan, and is, it is said, capable of being manufactured into sugar. The main stalk branches at the top into several pedicles, each of which bears an ear of corn; the grains are small and round, like shot; they are inclosed in a black shell, which, as the corn ripens, bursts, and forms two small leaves. This grain is used chiefly for feeding horses, &c., although the negroes sometimes manufacture it into meal, and boil it into a kind of pudding.
Of the esculent roots, the yam, dioscorea sativa, is the most valuable the island produces. There are several varieties of this plant, the roots of some of them weighing from 20 to 30lbs. The flowers are green, and consist of six segments, the male flowers having six stamens, and the female three styles. The leaves are broad, and strongly veined, and are seated upon long spreading vines. The internal colour of the root varies according to the species—some being quite white, others white and red blended together, which are called by the negroes moonshine, and some of a reddish purple.
The Sweet Potatoe, convolvulus batatas, is the most common in Antigua. It grows upon a twining vine, and vegetates best in a clayey land. The flower is campiform, and the leaves deeply lobated. There are several varieties of this root, some of which attain a great size; it abounds in a saccharine milky juice, which stains the flesh touched by it.
Eddoes, arum maximum Ægyptianum, are small edible roots, abounding, in their crude form, in a slimy juice, but when thoroughly ripe and boiled, attains a dry floury consistence. The natives consider it as one of their standing vegetables, using it in soups, &c.; but to an English palate it is generally distasteful at first trial.
Squashes, cucurbita melopepo, is a pomiferous herb much esteemed by the Antiguans. The yellow bell-flower is succeeded by a small, oblong fruit, which, when boiled, is very similar to the English vegetable marrow.
Soap-berry tree, or saponaria. The flowers are white and small, and are succeeded by acrid berries of the size and colour of small cherries. They were formerly imported to England, where they were used for waistcoat buttons. If pounded and thrown into water, it is said they cause the death of all the fish therein. These berries answer the purpose of soap in washing linen, (from whence they attain their name,) and are recommended as a specific for the disease of yaws in poultry.
There are a great variety of peas in Antigua, but none of them of the delicate flavour of those usually cultivated in England. The principal sorts are the pigeon pea, the black-eyed pea, and the white bean, or Barbados pea. The general use made of these vegetables is to boil them in soup, which forms a grand dish in negro cookery; they are used either in their dry or green state.
Ginger is a genus of the monogynia order, class monandria. There are ten species, each natives of tropical climates; the common ginger, or amomum zingiber, is the one most known in Antigua. The flower-stalks rise by the side of the leaves, (which are of a light green, and very narrow,) directly from the root; they are scaly, and from every joint issues a single blue flower, five-leaved, and shaped like the iris. The ovary afterwards becomes a triangular fruit, the seed being contained in three cells. The use of the dried root is too well known in England to descant upon the virtues of it; the green root is preserved in sugar, and forms a much admired sweetmeat.