1774. ROUND THE WORLD. 107 



two pigs, explaining to them how many young ones 

 the female would have at one time, and how soon 

 these would multiply to some hundreds. My only 

 motive was to enhance their value, that they might 

 take the more care of them ; and I had reason to 

 think I, in some measure, succeeded. In the mean 

 time, two men having left the company, soon re- 

 turned with six yams, which were presented to me 5 

 and then I took leave and went on board. 



I have already observed, that here was a little vil- 

 lage ; I now found it much larger than I expected ; 

 and, about it, a good deal of cultivated land, regu- 

 larly laid out, planted and planting with taro or ed- 

 dy root, yams, sugar-canes, and plantains. The taro 

 plantations were prettily watered by little rills, con- 

 tinually supplied from the main channel at the foot 

 of the mountains, from whence these streams were 

 conducted in artful meanders. They have two me- 

 thods of planting these roots, some are in square or 

 oblong patches, which lie perfectly horizontal, and 

 sink below the common level of the adjacent land ; 

 so that they can let in on them as much water as they 

 think necessary. I have generally seen them covered 

 two or three inches deep ; but 1 do not know that 

 this is always necessary. Others are planted in ridges 

 about three or four feet broad, and two, or two and 

 a half high. On the middle or top of the ridge is 

 a narrow gutter, in and along which is conveyed, as 

 above described, a little rill that waters the roots 

 planted in the ridge, on each side of it ; and these 

 plantations are so judiciously laid out, that the same 

 stream waters several ridges. These ridges are some- 

 times the divisions to the horizontal plantations ; and 

 when this method is used, which is for the most part 

 observed where a pathway or something of that sort is 

 requisite, not an inch of ground is lost. Perhaps 

 there may be some difference in the roots, which may 

 make these two methods of raising them necessary. 

 Some are better tasted than others, and they are not 



