1Fn IRew ^England 



plant corne eight or ten years in one place 

 without it, having very good crops. Such 

 is the rankenesse of the ground that it 

 must be sowne the first yeare with Indian 

 Corne, which is a soaking grain e, before 

 it will be fit for to receive English seede." 

 In speaking of the varied employments 

 of the Indian women, Wood adds : " An 

 other work is their planting of corne, 

 wherein they exceede our English hus- 

 band-men, keeping it so cleare with their 

 Clamme shell-hoes, as if it were a garden 

 rather than a corne field, not suffering a 

 choaking weede to advance his audacious 

 head above their infant corne, or an un- 

 dermining worme to spoile his spumes. 

 Their corne being ripe, they gather it, 

 and drying it hard in the Sunne, conveigh 

 it to their barnes, which be great holes 

 digged in the ground in forme of a brasse 

 pot, seeled with rinds of trees, wherein 

 they put their corne, covering it from the 

 inquisitive search of their gurmandiz- 

 ing husbands, who would eate up both 

 their allowed portion, and reserved 

 75 



