02 AUTHENTIC HISTORY 



Ion. It is disputable with me, whether it be best to fall to fining the 

 fruits of the country, especially the grape, by the care and skill of art, 

 or send for foreign stems and sets, already good and approved. It seems 

 most reasonable to believe, that not only a thing groweth best, where it 

 naturally grows, but will hardly be equalled by another species of the 

 same kind, that doth not naturally grow there. But, to solve the doubt, 

 I intend, if God give me life, to try both, and hope the consequence 

 will be as good wine as any European countries of the same latitude. 

 do yield. 



VI. "The artificial produce of the country is wheat, barley,^ oats, rye, 

 peas, beans, squashes, pumkins, water-melons, musk-melons, and all 

 herbs and roots, that our gardens in England usually bring forth. 



VII. "Of living creatures, fish, fowl, and the beasts of the woods; 

 here are divers sorts, some for food and profit, and some for profit only; 

 for food, as well as profit, the elk, as big as a small ox; deer, bigger than 

 ours; beaver, raccoon, rabbits, squirrels; and some eat young bear, and 

 commend it. Of fowl of the land, there is the turkey, (forty and fifty 

 pounds weight) which is very great ; pheasants, heath-birds, pigeons and 

 partridges, in abundance. Of the water, the swan, goose, white and grey; 

 brands, ducks, teal, also the snipe and curloe, and that in great numbers ; 

 but the duck and teal excel; nor so good have I ever eat in other coun- 

 tries. Of fish, there -is the sturgeon, herring, rock, shad, cats-head, sheeps- 

 head, eel, smelt, perch, roach ; and in inland rivers, trout, some say salmon, 

 above the falls. Of shell-fish, we have oysters, crabs, coccles, conchs and 

 muscles ; some oysters six inches long ; and one sort of coccles as big as the 

 stewing oysters ; they make a rich broth. The creatures for profit only, by 

 skin or fur, and that are natural to these parts, are the wildcat, panther, 

 otter, Avolf, fox, fisher, minx, muskrat; and of the water, the whale, for 

 oil; of which we have good store; and two companies of whalers, whose 

 boats are built, will soon begin their work; which hath the appearance 

 of a considerable improvement : to say nothing of our reasonable hopes 

 of good cod, in the bay. 



VIII. "We have no want of horses; and some are very good and 

 shapely enough ; two ships have been freighted to Barhadoes with horses 

 and pipe-staves since my coming in. Here is also plenty of cow-cattle, 

 and some sheep ; the people plow mostly with oxen. 



IX. "There are divers plants, that not only the iwfZ/ans tell us, but 

 we have had occasion to prove, by swellings, burnings, cuts, &c., that 

 they are of great virtue, suddenly curing the patient ; and, for smell, I 



1 Edward Jones, Son-in-law to Thomm Wynne, livinf^ on the Sculkil, had, with ordi- 

 nary cultivation, for one grain of English barley, seventy stalks and ears of barley : 

 and it is common in this country, from one bushel sown, to reap forty, often fifty, and 

 sometimes sixty. And three pecks of wheat sow an acre here. 



