POTATOES. 233 



in the roote boyled or roasted, and is good meate. Cagavi LlB - IV&amp;lt; 

 will keepe long, and therefore they carry it to sea in steede 

 of biscuit. The place where they vse most of this bread is at 

 the Hands of Barlovente, which are Saint Domingo, Cuba, 

 Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and some others thereabouts ; for 

 that the soile of these Hands will neither beare wheate, nor 

 Mays, for whenas they sowe wheate, it comes vp well, and 

 is presently greene, but so vnequally, as they cannot gather 

 it ; for of the seede sowen at one instant, some is spindled, 

 some is in the eare, and some doth but bud, one is great 

 and an other little, one is in the grasse and another in the 

 graine ; and although they have carried labourers thither, 

 to see if there were any tillage or Art to be vsed, yet could 

 they finde no remedy for the quality of the earth. They 

 carry rneale from New Spaine or the Canaries, which is so 

 moist, that hardly can they make any profitable bread, or of 

 good taste. The wafer cakes wherewith they say Masse, 

 did bend like to wet paper, by reason of the extreame 

 humiditie and heate which are ioyntley in that countrey. 

 There is another extreame contrary to this, which hinders 

 the growing of mais or wheate in some parts of the Indies, 

 as on the height of the Sierra of Peru, and the provinces 

 which they call the Collao, which is the greatest parte of this 

 &quot;Realm e, where the climate is so colde and drie, as it will 

 not suffer any of these seedes to grow : in steede thereof 

 the Indians vse an other kinde of roote, which they call 

 Papas. These rootes are like to grownd nuttes, they are 

 small rootes, which cast out many leaves. They gather this 

 Papas, and dry it well in the Sunne, then beating it they 

 make that which they call Chunu, which keeps many 

 daies, and serves for bread. In this realme there is great 

 trafficke of Chunu, the which they carry to the mines of 

 Potosi ; they likewise eat of these Papas boyled or roasted. 

 There is one sweete kinde, which growes in hot places, 

 whereof they do make certaine sauces and minced meates, 



