Page:Voyages in the Northern Pacific - 1896.djvu/136

108 In company with this man, I went round the island, and found all the plains and valleys in the highest state of cultivation. Tarrow, which is the principal vegetable, grows in abundance; there are two sorts; the first and best is planted in large square patches, banked up about six feet, and beat down very hard at the bottom and sides, so as to hold water; the growers then put a quantity of loose mould, turn some water on, and plant the tarrow in straight lines, or circles; and the water forms a fish pond as well as tarrow patch. This root takes about nine months to come to perfection, They manage it so as to have the patch always full, for as they dig up that which is ripe, they plant the suckers in its room, and by the time they come to the end of a patch, that which was first planted is ripe, and by this means they are never without it. They turn the water from the mountains, bring it down in streams to the tarrow ground, and take it in rotation to turn it on to the different patches. Round the banks of these patches there are beautiful walks, planted with sugar canes and plaintain trees.

The other sort of a tarrow is planted in dry ground, and takes a year to come to perfection. The sweet potato is planted in the same manner, and is hilled up with earth. They have plenty of what are commonly called Irish potatoes, yams, bread-fruit, melons, (both water and musk,) cabbages, onions, celery, garlick; also very good wheat, rice, Indian corn, and every description of fruit that grows in the West Indies; turnips, cucumbers, radishes, salad, in fact all that is