ii64f STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE 



pod is thickly covered by very fine stiff pointed hairs, which 

 produce an intolerable itching upon being applied to the skin. 



The Indian yam is peculiar to this part of America. The 

 plant is long, slender, and like a vine ; the leaves are large, 

 and digitated ; the root is about eight inches in length, and as 

 thick as a man's wrist ; it is of a reddish purple colour, and 

 affords an agreeable farinaceous food. 



Ginger is the root of a reed . It grows to the height of about 

 sixteen inches. Its leaves are long, narrow, sharp, and rise 

 in a spiral direction. The land near the coast is well adapted 

 to the growth of ginger, which requires a soil frequently 

 drenched in water. 



Of the cassava shrub there are two kinds, the bitter and the 

 sweet. The main stem is knotted, covered with an ash co- 

 loured bark, and grows to the height of four feet. The 

 branches are thin, short, and green, and arise from near the 

 top of the trunk. The leaves are large and digitated, and 

 arise by red foot stalks, six inches long from the branches. 

 The root is about a foot in length, and six inches in circum- 

 ference, of a cylindrical form, and consists of a white farina- 

 ceous substance. To prepare it for food, it is ground into a 

 meal, the meal is then squeezed to express the juice, and is 



