Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-03-26
ABORIGINAL FARMERS.
How the Original Inhabitants of the Coun.
try Conducted Agriculture.

W ItI tItN III 81 tolllt lHt HoiiIC
of civilized people. The methods they
pursued in raising corn and tobacco are
still followed. 1t is to be regretted that
SO little care was taken in preserving a
record of how they conducted many of
their farming operations as practiced in
the east.
Women We're the aboriginal '.gai-te-
gaids." or farmers, of North America,
for the savage lords of the soil scorned
tillage as does modern shop-boy. and
passed their time in fighting or in hunt
ing or in fishing. although they never
refused to eat the products of the soil.
When a new field was to he cleared up
in ne-sguam-sauke,' the squaws
would take their hatchets (made of
sharpened stone) and girdle the trees
by bruising off wide circle of the bark
MISUNDERSTANDING" as they call
ed this employment. The next spring,
twelve months after heapIng dry limbs
and leaves around the decayed trunks,
they would apply fire, and while the
flames consumed the dead giants of the
forest. and the heat killed the roots of
the underbruSh, the ashes would leave
the soil mellow and in fine heat. A
field thus titled would be used by gen
erations. thus proving the excellence of
wood ashes rs a fertilizer for Indian
corn.
Great care was taken by the Indians
to select for seed the best ear for '.ska-
moon which was their name for In
dian corn, although they had distinct
appellations for the white, the red. the
yellow, and the black varieties. all of
which they possessed, and kept pottage
fish and flesh of all sorts. either new
taken or dried. As shad. eels. alewives.
or kind of herring. or any other sort
of fish. Bnt they dried mostly those
sorts before mentioned These they cut
in pieces. bones and all. ami boiled
them in the aforesaid pottage. Also,
they boiled in this fermenty all sorts of
flesh taken in hunting Is yenison. bears
flesh, beaver. moose, otter, or raccoon,
cut in small pieces. They also mixed
with it several sorts of roots. as JeruSa-
lem artichoke and ground nuts. and
other roots and pumpkins and squashes.
Also several kinds of maSts, as oak
acornS. chestnutS. walnuts-these,
hu>ked and dried and powdered. they
thickened this pottage herewith
Melons We're raised in great abund-
ancc, as We're also gourds of all sizes,
from the large "calabash' that would
hold two or three gallons to the tiny
recep'apIe lor pigments uSeu III paint
inS ior war FROM the sap ol 'le ma
Pte 'iiet Iia"e coarse,SStaiiieu sugar
"nieh, wien il,iNeu WIN lreshi!.
eu inn ah neal III" seasoheu WIN ory
WhortieperrleS, was baked INTO dainty
hish lor nlgh festivals. Inc dried
meats OF oh-hntS' pounded ana boiled
III WATER was their beverage AT sucn
ieaStS' ana from the green wax OF the
oayperry they made candles with rush
WiGks' which gave clear hight and
!ieiued Pheasant fragrance while burn-
ING.
MiShlnih In the Algonquin tongue
slghineu apple although IL Is the opin-
ION OF some learned writers that TINS
iruit II was uhknoWh before the arrival OF
europeans. nave IN my possession,
however. se'erai oid printed comPiia-
'ioIs Oh early 'oIaSers. each OF which
iechohs apples among the carry hati'e
ifui's, anu unless crap STOCKS We're
iounu 40 hot cieariS see no" thelarSe
ofcIarus ihentioseu oy the carry writers
eooio nave poeh hiaue productive SO
sooh' hr. "oico't, ulsup Sulsneu
Iohhecticut magistrate wrote IN l.o'
lcertaihiv not more than 'eyears a1ter
tiiis u coiohy was iirst Piah.eu): maue
h'e honulei hoS>iieaus Vi cluer oul Oh
III. oWn orcnaru III one year. ms
y, "o,'lo nave oeen aiilos! lfhPossloie haG
ne peeh ooiiseu TO raise MS orchard
from II. seeo, or even had ne carried Trees
oi suIh SIZE rs couiu nave peen Trans
Ror'eu lr5 through the irackless WILDERNESS.
ne apple may not oe Indigenous 10 the
Soii Vi we" EhS i'io' anu !e' 'he III
diahS ,i may nave possessed It, as they
olu iHu'ah corn which "h1ouolediy
c'nie ';al from tiie Sou'h' ana which was
never louhu growing "l!u.
Aiter the spring burning When tne
o'hs oeSah 10 ieai' 'he sIuaWs Woulu
c",t'H 'Ha'e, ol, ra,her' Wouiu ROOT up uhe
ieius !, "ith the nat shouiuer-olaues OF
Lnv ~, iiioo>e' anu 'hel MARI ihe future
|, iiii> ps hiahlnS Small holes \anout ionr
Iee' aparp With Il ruue noe tne piaue
'l mnicn was 'af%e ciah-shen. INTO
'acii ioie 'heS "oulo pun III aie"he'
'auSht III some aulaceht stream, or
lorSe-shoe crap from the seashore, ana
,h 'he s'iinuiant drop anu cover nan
ioAen grams OF corn. Inc lahu mus
planted was guarded against the depre-
'aiiohs ol the piruS' anu as the corn
rev. the earlh was scraped around the
'talks with ci;m-shelis until the nils