538 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



earlh, iii a cylindrical ibnn, with 

 few or no radicles, and vavies 

 from the size of a goose quill to 

 that of a man's tinger. The ijarl; 

 is blackj thin, brittle, and rather 

 rough, and easily sepaiates in 

 Hakes from the part which is 

 eaten : the centre is divided into 

 two parts by a sti-ong, flat, and 

 white ligament, .like a piece of 

 thin tape ; on each side of which 

 is a white substance, resembling, 

 after the root is roasted, both in 

 appearance and flavour, the dough 

 of wheat. It has, howcicr, a 

 pungency which is disagreeable, 

 but the natives eat it voracious! v, 

 and it seems to be very nutriticus. 

 3. The rush is most commonly 

 used by the Killaraucks, and other 

 Indians on tb.e seacoast, along 

 the sands of which it grows in the 

 greatest abundance. From each 

 root a single stem rises erectly to 

 the height of three or four feet, 

 somewhat thicker than a large 

 cpiill, hollow and jointed ; about 

 twenty or thii ty long, lineal, stel- 

 late, or radiate and horizontal 

 leaves sm^round the stem at each 

 joint, about half an inch above 

 which, its stem is sheathed hkc 

 the sand rush. When green, it 

 resembles that plant also in ap- 

 pearance, as well as in having a 

 rough stem. It is not branching; 

 nor does it bear, as far as we can 

 discover, either flower or seed. 

 .\t the bottom of this stem, whicli 

 is annual, is a small, strong ra- 

 dicle, about an inch long, de- 

 scending pei i)cndicularly to the 

 root, wjiile just above the junction 

 of the radicle with the stem, tlie 

 hitter is surroimded in the form 

 of a wheel with six or nine small 

 radicles, descending obliquely : 

 the root attached to this radicle 



is a perennial solid bulb, about 

 an inch long, and of the thick- 

 ness of a man's thumb, of an 

 ovate form, depressed on one or 

 two of its sides, and covered with 

 a thin, smooth, black rind : the 

 pulp is white, brittle, and easily 

 masticated. It is commonly roast- 

 ed, though sometimes eaten raw ; 

 but in both states is rather an in- 

 sipid root. 



4. The liquorice of this coun- 

 try does not differ from that com- 

 mon to the United States. It 

 here delights in a deep, loose, 

 sandy soil, and grows vei-y large, 

 and abundantly. It is prepared 

 by roasting in the embers, and 

 jjounding it slightly with a small 

 jtick, in order to sepai'ate the 

 strong ligament in the centre of 

 the root, which is then thrown 

 away, and the rest chewed and 

 swallowed. In this way it has 

 an agreeable flavour, not rmlikc 

 that of the sweet potatoe. The 

 root of the cattail, or cooper's 

 flag, is eaten by the Indians. 

 There is also, a species of small, 

 drv, tuberous root, two inches 

 in length, and about the thickness 

 of the flngcr. They are eaten 

 raw, are crisp, milky, and of an 

 agreeable flavour. 



5. Beside the small cylindric 

 root mentioned above, is another 

 of the same form and appearance, 

 which is usually boiled and eaten 

 with train oil. Its taste, how- 

 ever, is disagreeably bitter. But 

 the most valuable of all the In- 

 dian roots, is 



6. The wappaioo, or bulb ov 

 th«c common sagittafolia, or com- 

 mon arrowhead. It does not 

 grow in this neighbourhood, but 

 is in great abundance in the 

 marshy grounds of that beautiful 



valley. 



