# A Voyage to the Islands Madera, Barbados, Nieves, S. Christophers and Jamaica/Volume 1/Book 1/Chapter 4

Chap. IV.
Of Herbs with grassie Leaves.
Herbs with grassie Leaves and less perfect or Stamineous Flowers which are Culmiferous, are divided into those with large Seeds, or Corns, and those with lesser Seeds called Grass. There are very few Corns here, the European Kinds not ripening well: the others, as Rice, Guinea Corn of two sorts, and Maiz ripen very well, and give great increase, especially the two latter, but are the Food only of some few of the meaner sort of People and Cattle; Cassada Bread with Yams, and other Roots and Flower, coming from other parts where Wheat is plentiful, being the chief Subsistance of the Inhabitants.
I doubted very much whether I should find in the American Islands any Grasses, at least in Plains as our Fields in Europe, but I found many grassie Plains, and in them Kinds of Grasses analogous to those of Europe, and two which I could not find different from them. What the design of Nature was in their Production seems hard to discover, for in these Islands they had no large Fourfooted Beasts but one, till Europeans landed there, unless it be said that as Corn with greater Seeds are for Man's Nourishment, so these were appointed for the Food of Birds and Insects, which feed on them and their Ripe Seeds.
Grasses are well divided into those spiked or panicled, which are made up of many Spikes; of the first there are some few, whereof that Paniceum spica divulsa seems to belong to the Panicled.
​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/274 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/275 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/276 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/277 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/278 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/279 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/280 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/281 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/282 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/283 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/284 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/285 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/286 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/287 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/288 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/289 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/290 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/291 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/292 ​Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/293 ​The Down is used in some places for Beds, and applied to kibed Heels Cures them, stamped with Swines Grease is good for burnings, Diosc. and given to a Dram, with other ingredients, Cures Ruptures, Math. This seems to be no good Medicine, but that other Ingredients mixed with it, are the causes of the Cure. Lob.
It is the φλέως Theophrasti the flour or top used to be mixed with Clay or Lime, instead of Hair or Straw for Buildings, to keep the Mortar from breaking. The Leaves of the Male, before it flours or Fæmina, are good for binding any thing withal, and are now used to make Mats. Herodotus tells us of the Indians inhabiting the Marshes of the River, carrying Vestem φλοἴνω,(Greek characters) Dod.
The Leaves are used to cover Flasks, and for Chairs. Math.
The Leaves of this are cut for the Papyrus by Dodonæus. C.B.