86 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 184 
CROPS 
Corn, alfalfa, wheat, chili, oats, beans, fruits, and garden produce 
are cultivated. It would be meaningless to say which of these is ‘‘the 
most important” without specifying the context in which “important” 
is to be defined: whether it be food for people or livestock, contribu- 
tion to a balanced diet, cash income, or something else. Nutritionists 
say that the Sia do not eat enough fruit, so that the meager amount 
grown may be considered important. Considerable alfalfa is grown, 
but livestock could be fed on wild hay or pasturage. Chili has be- 
come a significant source of cash income, and so on. We have many 
figures on acreage, yields, and values of crops, taken from the files of 
the “Annual Reports of Extension Work” of the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs. It is difficult to obtain accurate information on these points, 
and many of their figures may be only approximate or even inaccurate. 
Nevertheless, we believe they do have value and significance. 
Alfalfa ranks first in terms of acreage and money value. An 
average of 102 acres was harvested annually during 7 selected years, 
1936 to 1956, inclusive, as compared with an average of 99 acres for 
corn, and 31 for wheat. The average annual value of crops for 7 
selected years, 1930 to 1956, was $5,432 for alfalfa, $3,790 for corn, 
and $1,339 for wheat. Oats are relatively insignificant: an average 
of 11.5 acres harvested per year, with an average value of $285 annu- 
ally, for 4 selected years, 1941 to 1949. 
For some reason, beans constitute a relatively insignificant item 
in the agricultural economy. This is rather surprising, since they 
grow well under arid conditions and are a staple article of diet among 
the Spanish-Americans of the region. As noted in the chapter on 
“Health, Sanitation, and Diet,’ (p. 106) beans are relatively little 
eaten in Sia. In 1930, beans valued at only $60 were produced 
(U.S. Senate, 1932, pt. 19, p. 9888); this amounted to 17 cents per 
day for the entire pueblo. In 1936, only 15 bushels were produced; 
none was sold. In 1949, the last year for which we have figures, 140 
bushels were grown, of which 100 were sold, leaving less than 1 bushel 
per household for the year. 
Production of chili has, however, increased greatly since the 1930’s, 
and informants said that it was acquiring importance as a cash crop. 
Only a few bushels were produced in 1936, and none was sold. The 
acreage planted increased from 3 in 1941 to 18 in 1956, and the yield 
increased from 3 tons to 36 tons in the same period. The value of 
the chili crop in 1956, $7,288, exceeded the combined values of corn, 
$2,307, and alfalfa, $4,867. 
An interesting, and rather surprising, aspect of Sia agricultural 
economy is the extent to which crops are sold rather than consumed; 
