OF PLANTATIONS 85 



honey, and the like ; and make use of them. Then con- 

 sider what victual or esculent things there are, which grow 

 speedily, and within the year ; as parsnips, carrots, turnips, 

 onions, radish, artichokes of Hierusalem, maize, and the 

 like. For wheat, barley, and oats, they ask too much 

 labour; but with pease and beans you may begin, both 

 because they ask less labour, and because they serve for 

 meat as well as for bread. And of rice likewise cometh a 

 great increase, and it is a kind of meat. Above all, there 

 ought to be brought store of biscuit, oat-meal, flour, meal, 

 and the like, in the beginning, till bread may be had. For 

 beasts, or birds, take chiefly such as are least subject to 

 diseases, and multiply fastest ; as swine, goats, cocks, hens, 

 turkeys, geese, house-doves, and the like. 



The victual in plantations ought to be expended almost 

 as in a besieged town ; that is, with certain allowance. 

 And let the main part of the ground employed to gardens 

 or corn, be to a common stock ; and to be laid in, and 

 stored up, and then delivered out in proportion ; besides 

 some spots of ground that any particular person will 

 manure for his own private. Consider likewise what 

 commodities the soil where the plantation is doth naturally 

 yield, that they may some way help to defray the charge 

 of the plantation (so it be not, as was said, to the un- 

 timely prejudice of the main business), as it hath fared 

 with tobacco in Virginia. Wood commonly aboundeth 

 but too much ; and therefore timber is fit to be one. If 

 there be iron ore, and streams whereupon to set the 

 mills, iron is a brave commodity where wood aboundeth. 

 Making of bay-salt, if the climate be proper for it, would 

 be put in experience. Growing silk likewise, if any be, is 

 a likely commodity. Pitch and tar, where store of firs 

 and pines are, will not fail. So drugs and sweet woods, 

 where they are, cannot but yield great profit. Soap-ashes 

 likewise, and other things that may be thought of. But 

 moil not too much under ground ; for the hope of mines 

 is very uncertain, and useth to make the planters lazy in 

 other things. 



For government, let it be in the hands of one, assisted 



