01* NORTH CAROLINA, 169 



firround : their leaves endure the winter, in which 

 season our cattle eat them greedily. We have 

 them (towards the heads of our rivers) so large 

 that one joint will hold above a pint of liquor. 



The small bamboo is next, which is a certain 

 vine, like the rest of these species, growing in low 

 land. They seldom, with us, grow thicker than 

 a man's little finger, and are very tough. Their 

 root is a round ball which the Indians boil as we 

 do garden roots, and eat them. When these roots 

 have been sometime out of the ground they be- 

 come hard and make good heads to the canes, on 

 which several pretty figures may be cut. There 

 are several others of this kind, not thoroughly dis- 

 covered. 



That palmeto grows with us which we call the 

 dwarfish sort, but the palmeto tree I have not yet 

 met withal in ISTorth Carolina, of which you have 

 a description elsewhere. We shall next treat of 

 the spontaneous fruits of this country ; and then 

 proceed to those that have been transplanted from 

 Europe and other parts. 



Among the natural fruits, the vine first takes 

 place, of which I find six sorts, very well known. 

 The first is the black bunch grapes which yield a 

 crimson juice. These grow common and bear 

 plentifully, they are of a good relish, though not 

 large, yet well knit in the clusters. They have a 

 thickish skin and large stone, Avhich makes them 

 not yield much juice. There is another sort of 

 black grapes like the former in all respects, save 



