Corn Conquers Virginia 53 



left by Newport which, it was estimated, would last fifteen 

 weeks, by careful rationing. Newport could not, even with 

 favorable winds, weather and prompt aid at home, be ex- 

 pected to return in less than five months. The colony was 

 faced with the necessity of adding to its store of provisions 

 enough to carry it through at least five weeks. 



Considering the plenitude of the woods and fields, this did 

 not seem to present grave difficulties. The fringes of the pine 

 and cedar woods offered wild crab-apples, three varieties of 

 cherries, persimmons, a fruit of which Smith remarked, "If it 

 be not ripe it will drawe a man's mouth awrie with much 

 torment," as well as raspberries, whortleberries, four varieties 

 of grapes, and wild strawberries, that were four times as large 

 as any in England and so plentiful the men trampled them as 

 they went about the plantation. 



There were also the sassafras trees, whose roots, with pine 

 wood for paneling, were the cargo the Susan Constant carried 

 home. 



The woods, which were free of underbrush thanks to the 

 custom followed by the Indians of burning out the low growth 

 to aid them in deer stalking, yielded venison, squirrels, opos- 

 sums, raccoons, quail, wild turkeys. It might be thought im- 

 possible for one hundred able-bodied men to suffer want in 

 such a land. But as summer brought hot weather, malaria and 

 dysentery claimed its victims. The wheat, sprung from seed 

 which had been developed in a cooler, moister England, sick- 

 ened and failed. Sooner than any of them had expected, they 

 began to draw on the stores which were entrusted to Thomas 

 Studley. He has left his own account: 



. . . Being thus left to our fortunes, it fortuned that within ten 

 days scarce ten of us could either go or well stand, such extreme 

 sickness and weakness oppressed us ... and the reason was this; 

 whilst the ships stayed our allowance was somewhat bettered by 

 daily proportion of biscuit which the sailors would pilfer to sell, 

 give or exchange with us for money, sassafras, furs or love. But 

 when they departed there remained ... no place of relief but the 



