Indian Agriculture; in Arizona 535 



dark blue, black, dee]) red, pink, yellow, and various combinations 

 of the above may be found. 



The modified characters of their corn varieties are interesting. 

 Collins* reports that Indian varieties of corn emerged when the 

 seed were planted at a depth of thirty-two centimeters, while the 

 greatest depth through which Boone County White could penetrate 

 was twenty centimeters. He found that the combined length of 

 coleoptyle and mesocotyl of Indian corn was thirty-five and one- 

 half centimeters, while that of Boone County White was but fifteen 

 and four-tenths centimeters. 



The thorough acclimatization of Indian varieties is further il- 

 lustrated by the fact that tepary beans will form seed during the 

 hottest part of the summer in the sub-tropical, irrigated valleys of 

 Southern Arizona, while improved American varieties will fail un- 

 less flowering takes place in cooler weather, and oftentimes even 

 their leaves will drop off. 



THE YUM AN FAMILY 



The Yuman family includes the Maricopa, Mohave, Yuma, and 

 Hualpai tribes. The Chemehuevis, a Shoshonean tribe, from long 

 association with the Yuman family have adopted the agricultural 

 customs of the Yumas. This family has done little to promote dry- 

 farming but has become expert in farming lands subject to periodic 

 flooding by the Colorado River. As the water recedes crops are 

 planted in the muddy ground, and the conservation and utilization 

 of soil moisture is sufficiently thorough to insure maturity of the 

 crops. Because of the irregular periodicity of the Colorado floods, 

 the Yumas have not been able to insure against famine as com- 

 pletely as the dry-farming Indians of the Piman family. 



the; ATHAPASCAN FAMILY ' 



The strongest numerically and of least importance agricul- 

 turally is the Athapascan family, including the Navajo and Apache 

 tribes. Their subsistence has come from the chase and raids upon 

 stores of neighboring Indian tribes and white people. 



In the early settlement of Arizona by Americans, some errors 

 in management made the Apaches enemies constantly to be feared ; 

 and, while the Navajos have ordinarily remained at peace, there 



'Jour. Asric. Research, Vol. 1, No. 4, Jan., 1914, p. 993. 



