The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-26

and each moon was named from some
phase of charge in the vegetable king
dom, the planting moon, the green corn
moon, the falling leaf moon, ETC., indi-
eating considerable attention to plant
life.
OF arts the original redman had but the
rudest. He made canoes, bone fishhooks,
with lines of hide or twisted bark, stone
tomahawks, arrow heads and spears,
clothing of skins. wooden bows, arrows
and clubs He loved fighting, finery,
gambling and the chase. He homestead
ed no animals but the dog. He was usu-
ally brave, often treacherous, cruel and
revengeful. His power Of endurance on
trail or warpath was astonishing, and he
let himself be tortured to death without
culver or a cry.
Among the animal inhabitants of North
America very few changes have occurred
since the white mans arrival A few
species, rs the Laborador duck and the
great aux, have persisted. America then
possessed but four animals which had
appreciable economic value-the dog the
reindeer of the north, which the mound
builders used as a draft animal, but the
Indians did not and the llama and the
pace south of the equator Everyone OF
our present domestic animals originated
beyond the Atlantic and was imported
Doubtless. as Edward John Payne main
taips in his History of the New World
Called America" the backwardness of
the aborigines was largely due to their
lack Of animals suitable for draft or
travel or producing milk or flesh good for
food. Asiatics from the remotest an
tiquity had the horse, ass, OK and COW.
camel and goat, netting ten times the
outfit In useful animals which the Pc
ruvians, Mexicans or Indians enjoyed.
The vegetable kingdom of old America
was equally restricted which helps explain
the low civilization. AT the advent of the
Europeans all our part of the continent
was covered with forests. The undomes-
ticated trees and plants were then much
as now, though a few varieties have since
given out and some imported ones run
wild. The cultivated species, however
have been almost completely changed
The Indians Were wretched husbandmen
nor had the moundbuilders at all the
diversity Of agricultural products so IA
m1liar now. Tobacco, Indian corn, cocoa
potatoes, sweet and Irish both, the Gus
tard apple, guavas, pumpkins and
squashes. paw-paws and pineapples, in
digenous in North America, were under
cultivation here before Columbus came
Tobacco, corn cocoa and sweet potatoes
had been cultivated from the most an
Gent times. The manioc, or tapioca
plant, the red pepper plant, tomatoes and
marmalade plums were raised In South
America before 1900. The persimmon, the
chinchona tree, whence We get our quiz
nine, and the Virginia and Chill straw
berry are natives of this country, but
have been brought under cultivation only
Wlthln three centuries. The great ce-
reals, wheat rye, oats and rice, consti-
tuting all the main food crops but corn,
have come to us from the old world So
nave cherries, apples, ounces and pears,
and also hops. currants, chestnuts and
mushrooms. The banana, which Hum
boldt regarded as original American fruit,
most botanists now derive from Asia
Mr. Payne's generalization that superior
food supply occasioned the oI worlds
primacy in civilization, and also that of
the Mexicans and Peruvians here seems
to me too sweeping, yet it evidently con-
tains large truth.
Copyright. 19oo)