The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1917-08-10

been nothing snort OF COLOSSAL. MOI only
products. but also numerous varieties of edible
Rrnins vegetables and fruit, their present
useful forms to his skill. 1t Is a popular fallacy
that the Indian was merely hunter, that he hved
A haphazard and hand mouth existence by fish
log and the chase and that his tling the soil was
only an incident of his communal life 1t Is a late
day to give the guerdon of recompense to race
which many times kept our forefathers from
starvation and furnished the cornstalk bridge on
which civilization came to these shores, and yet
even now credit should be given where 1t Is due
Most Of the valued articles OF diet OF which the
discoverers and explorers of the early day found
the Indian In possession was not indigenous at all.
and many of them originally from tropical
countries many thousands of miles distant. The
Indian tribes made frequent excursions to
the lower ATTITUDES and brought back grains and
vegetables of all kinds which they used as seed.
Maize or Indian corn in its present form repre-
sents OF the great achievements Of primitive
planters. 1t originally. 1t is now generally
accepted from southern Mexico and was eaten by
the Maya tribes At first 1t was nothing more than
Il coarse grass which We're tiny ears resembling
the top Of the wheat stalk. Each grain had Its own
envelope of husk. Occasionally even now. grains
OF found which have their individual
husk thus showing how the maize Of day
reverts to type. The plant essentially tropical
and after centuries of culture In the tenn
perate zone 1t is sensitive to frost
The tribes of North America saw the possibili-
ties of the grain and FASTENED its evolution There
rs a matter of fact the culture OF the present
day Is practically it came from the hand of the
Indian. He has adapted and modified 1t to various
sections of the country by process of careful
selection.
All the kinds of corn which exist today de-
scribed in the accounts of the white settlers.
Black and red corn, the white corn, the yellow
corn, are all mentioned, not forgetting the soft,
sweet variety, the so-called gummy corn of the
Indians The culture of was more than
~ TI1n alnCfin Of 10
seed for the next planting was done with such
care the various colorings were so studied and
modified that there grew up veritable maize ira
dtion.
All the methods of raising corn were taken over
directly by the early settlers, and although there
have come into being mechanical appliances for
blowing planting and harvesting. the methods
have really not changed since they were de-
yeloped by the Indian. The ground was loosened
with hoes made either of wood or OF bone or
auter or flint with wooden handles. Inc we'll
chosen grains put in holes made by planting
sticks If the planting season had been delayed
by frost the Indians soaked the grain In water SO
that lost time might be made up in termination.
Frequently a little hellebore or some other power
full drug was added to the water. This did not in
inra the grain and either stupefed killed any
of the crows which might dig up the seed Often
snares- were laid for the feet OF the birds ana
later fantastic human figures were placed In the
corn clearings the precursors OF the modern scare
crows. The weeds were hoeu AWAY iioin INC soo"e
nlants and as the season advanced the young corn
was hilIed The main work of cultiyating corn
was done by women among the Eastern tribes
while in the tribes of the West and the Southwest
the crop was looked after by the men.
The planting of the corn was In reality res
,ival as was the harvesting. The success when
attended the development of the scraggly little
tropical plant to the splendid stalk o1ten 10 ieet
roll and with ears a foot and half long, as speci-
mems of the raisng of the 1roquois are described
WINS due to the zeal and the scrupulous care OF the
n,anters inspired by romance. Corn In the Indian
tradition became the food which came direct from
tho breast of Mother Earth. The keeping Of the
oroner seed was a matter of sentiment and of
faith. Mighty Mcndamin committed to the grave
was to rise again. and it the duty OF the tlers