USES OF MAIZE. 229 



bread withall : insteede wliereof the} 7 &quot; vsed otlier kindes of LlB - 

 graines and rootes, amongst the which Mays holds the first 

 place, and with reason. In Castile they call it Indian wheat, 

 and in Italic they call it Turkey graine. And even as wheat 

 is the most common graine for the vse of man in the 

 regions of the old world, which are Europe, Asia, Affrike, 

 so, in the new found worlde, the most common graine is 

 Mays, the which is found almost in all the kingdomes of 

 the West Indies, as at Peru, New Spaine, in the new 

 kingdome of Granada, in Gautimala, in Chile, and in the 

 Tierra. Firme. . I do not finde that in old time, in the Hands 

 of Barlovente, as Cuba, Santo Domingo, lamaica, and S. 

 Juan, 1 that they vsed Mays. Now they vse more the Yuca 

 and Casavi, whereof we will presently intreate. I do not 

 thinke that this Mays is any thing inferiour to our wheat in 

 strength nor substance, but it is more hote and grosse, and 

 engenders more bloud, wherevpon they that have not bin 

 accustomed therevnto, if they eat too much, they swell 

 and become scabbed. It growes vpon canes or reedes ; 

 every one beares one or two mazorcas, to the which the 

 graine is fastened, and although the graine be bigge, yet 

 finde they great store thereof, so as in some mazorcas I 

 have told seven hundred graines. They must plant it with 

 the hand one by one, and not very thicke ; it requires a hote 

 and moist ground, and growes in great aboundance in many 

 places of the Indies. It is not strange in those countries to 

 gather 300 Fancy as or measures for one sowen. There is 

 difference of Mays as there is of wheat, one is great and 

 very nourishing, another small and drie, which they call 

 Moroche. 2 The greene leaves and stalks of Mays is a good 

 foode for their mules and horses, and it serves them for 

 straw when it is dried ; the graine is of more nourishment 

 for horses then barley; and therefore, in those countries, 

 they vse to water their horses before they eate, for if they 

 1 Puerto Rico. 2 MurucJiu is &quot;hard&quot; in Quichua. 



