228 
The Natural Hiflory of the Book VIII. 
PoT ATO ES: 
HESE very ufeful Roots are diftinguithed in this Hland from one 
ne another into at leaft thirteen Sorts; but as this great Variety hath 
but yery {mall real Difference, I fhall therefore pafs by thefe ard lefs 
neceflary Diftinétions, and divide them into the white and red, the 
long and the round Sort. Each of thefe differs from the Engli/h Potato, 
by being propagated by a Slip or Vine, which they produce inftead of 
upright Stalks. Another remarkable Difference is, that the We/-India 
- Potatoes have all a fweetifh Tafte ; they are here look’d upon fo beneficial, 
that there is {carce an Eftate, where there is not a confiderable Quantity 
of Land planted with them; for thefe with Yams and Plantain ferye 
inftead of Bread to moft of the midling, and almoft intirely to the poorer 
Sort; tho’ they are not quite deftitute of a kind of Bread, made with thefe 
Roots: For the Potatoes being firft grated, and the Juice preffed out, the 
flowery or mealy Part is mix’d with Sugar and Spice, and made into Pafte, 
which being baked in the Oven, in the Form of a Plum-cake, its | 
Tafte is far from being difagreeable; this they call Powe. With the | 
exprefs’d Liquor of either the red or the white Potato is made what we — A 
here call Mody, or a Sort of cool Drink, anfwering to fmall Beer in | 
England. The Method of making this, is to mix the raw exprefs'd Juice — 
of the Potatoes with a certain Quantity of Water; this in a feafoned Vefiel 7 
will foon ferment, and in about four and twenty Hours be ready for Ufe; 
it taftes cool.and fharp, and it is generally efteem’d.a healthy Liquor. The 7 
Juice likewile of Potatoes, if fermented, will, by Diftillation, yield good 
Spirit. “The Vine producing each Sort is long, and trailing clofe to the — 
Earth, taking Roots with its numerous Joints in wet Weather; thefe 
burrowing into the Ground bear a great Number of Potatoes: Tho the } 
Leaves upon thefe different Vines vary fomewhat in Shape, yet in general 
they are all {collop’d, and bear bell-fafhion’d monopetalous Flowers, whitifh 
without, and of a deep Purple within, each Flower being flightly feg- 7 
mented about the Edges. Thefe are fucceeded by {mall capfular Seed-veffels, 
inclofing feveral blackith {mall Seeds. 
The Wuitre-Lity ; Lat. Pancratium Americanum. 
© Raa main Root of the white, as well as all other Lilies, are bulbous and 
round like an Cnion, faftened to the Earth by feveral {mall white fibrous), 
“Strings or lefler Roots, the former being fquamofe, or compos’d of feveral — 
Coats one over another. The Leaves are many and fharp-pointed, being 
about ten Inches long, and near three in breadth. From the middle of thefe 
-Tifes a green flattifh hollow Stalk, this near the Top is furrounded like the ~ 
Ribs of an Umbrella, with fix four-inch-long Stalks, the Flowers con- 7 
fifting of a double Border of five Snow-white Petals four Inches long, 
and about a quarter of an Inch broad, bending downwards in a very 
beautiful 
