864 ' nieuhoff's brazil. 



Some ginger is likewife planted in Brazil, but not in fuch quantities as to be tran- 

 fported into other parts, no more than the Mechoaconna, China, and fome other me- 

 dicinal roots ; and the Herba de Cubra or Herba de Noflfa Senhora, which is looked 

 upon as an infallible remedy againft the gravel ; and the root called Paquoquanha, 

 which is the univerfal medicine of' the Brazilians. There are alfo many tranfplanted 

 hither from other parts, as ginger, tobacco, rice, cotton, Turkey wheat, aniel, or indigo, 

 and the fugar-reeds were firft of all tranfported by the Portuguefe from the Canary 

 Iflands. The fruits in daily ufe among the inhabitants, are Ananas, Bananas, Man- 

 gaba, Akaju, Arakou great and fmall, Guajaba, divers kinds of Murukuja, Ibapiranga, 

 Mazaxanduba, Akaja, Aratiku, Guitakori, Biringela, Mamaon, Cocoa-nuts, and feveral 

 forts of Indian figs. The roots chiefly in ufe, are the Batatas, Nhambi and Umbi, and 

 the Indian acorns, called Tembi, which are of a delicious tafte. 



The whole country of Brazil is extremely fertile and pleafant, being watered by 

 many rivers and {landing waters, moft of which arife from the Iiills, and pafs through 

 fpacious plains, the laft of which are clayey and marfliy grounds (called Vergeas by 

 the Portuguefe), which produce all forts of fruit, but efpecially fugar-canes, in great 

 plenty. Their meadows and pafture-grounds do not appear fo pleafant in the fummer 

 as in the rainy feafon, when they are very green ; wheat and rye grow foon rank here, 

 which is occafioned partly by the nature of the foil, and partly by the heat of the fun ; 

 to prevent which, they never let their grounds lie fallow, and manure them with fand 

 inftead of dung. The fame mull be obferved with all other foreign feeds here, that 

 require to be kept a confiderable time under-ground. In February and March 

 (which is the rainy and winter-feafon of this climate), they fow their feeds, and that 

 towards evening, not by day-time, or about midnight. They take great care not 

 to plant any thing too deep under-ground ; for whatever is planted beyond the 

 fun-beams feldom produces any fruit, which our people have learned to their coft. 

 There is a remarkable difference betwixt the feeds and fruits which are produced on 

 the hills, and thofe of the marfhy grounds, as to their time of ripening ; though the 

 cocoa and palm-trees are tranfplanted here without the leafl regard to their age, bignefs, 

 or the feafon, and grow very well. Mofl of their own trees and flirubs bear flowers 

 and fruit throughout the whole year, fo that, at one and the fame time, you enjoy the 

 benefit of the fpring, fummer, and winter ; the like is obfervable in the vines, citron, 

 lemon, and other trees, brought by the Portuguefe from Angola into Brazil, and in 

 feveral roots, pot-herbs, and other fruits, tranfplanted thither by the Dutch. Thofe 

 who covet ripe grapes throughout the whole year, do only prune their vines at divers 

 times, which produce a fine grape, and a wine as fweet as molafles. The worfl: is, 

 that they are much infefl:ed by the pifmires, which fuck all the juice, and leave nothing 

 but the hulks to the owners ; feveral other forts of trees have been tranfplanted thither 

 from Holland, which thrive extremely, and bear very good fruit. 



The fl:anding waters of Brazil are, for the mofl part, covered on the furface with green 

 flirubs and herbs, that they appear rather like land than water, and feed both land and wa- 

 ter-fowl. At the entrance of mofl of their rivers (where you meet with vafl quantities of 

 oyflers and crabs), the country is fo overflocked with a certain kind of a tree called Gua- 

 paraba, or Mangle, by the Brazilians, that they render it impaflfable for travellers. In 

 fliort, the whole Brazil is well flored with trees, fhrubs, and ufeful woods, there being 

 fcarce a place, either in the valleys or rifing grounds, which are clayey, or among the hills, 

 which do not produce fomething that is ufeful ; and that in fuch plenty, that the Por- 

 tuguefe, after their firfl arrival here, were forced to cut their way through thefe trees 



with 



