THE LAND 



47 



organizing infonnation for 161 pieces of Indian- 

 planted land, will give an idea of their kinds and 

 relative frequencies. 



In the section where the value of the various 

 crops is discussed (pp. 1 OS- 116), some light is 

 thrown on the problem of the relative efficiency of 

 some of tlio uses. But since other factors besides 

 profits during a year must be taken into consid- 

 eration, that discussion is hardly definitive. The 

 crop combinations favored by indivichials ap])car 

 little related to their total wealth. A thorough 

 comparison of the truck crops planted and of total 

 land wealth, or truck-land wealth (for which data 

 are available) is not made because a quick survey 

 shows that this would probably not be worth the 

 effort. E.xamination of the crops planted by 25 

 of the poorest, 10 medium rich, and the 8 wealthi- 

 est families shows little diiference except that the 



rich, baving more land, tend to plant one piece 

 more unifonnly than the poor and achieve the 

 same variety by planting different pieces with 

 different crops. I looked for the rich to plant more 

 corn in their truck lands on the same principle that 

 Ladinos do, but the difference is not obvious. 



AGRICULTURE 

 THE MILPA 



In the niilpa, or cornfield, grow maize, beans, 

 and squash or pumpkins. Beans are rarely if 

 ever planted in delta cornfields; but in about 

 two-thirds of the hill cornfields they are planted 

 with every fifth or sixth corn plant. ^' Beans are 



*' In some plac«3 in Quatomah beans are plained nut only together witb the 

 corn, so that the vines climb up the cornstalks, but also iu rows between the 

 rows of corn. 



Chart 4. — The use of truck land by resident Indians: 1, Corn; 2, corn-pepino; 3, pepinos; 4, onion nursery; 5, onions; 

 6, onion seed; 7, idle (resting); 8, vine beans; 9, ground beans; 10, miscellaneous vegetables; 11, garlic. 



