118 USES OF PLANTS BY INDIANS [ETH. ANN. 33 
6. Wata" mika ska, white wata" mika. 7. Wata" mika saba, 
black wata" mika. 8. Wata" mila zi, yellow wata" mila. These 
last four squashes, called wata" mifia, were small summer or fall 
squashes. 
The Omaha planted their squashes at the time of blossoming of 
the wild plum. 
Cucurbita maxima of Tropical or Subtropical America. The pumpkin called 
in Brazilian ‘“jurumu” (Maregr. 44), in Carib “jujuru” or “babora” 
(Dese.), and cultivated from early times: ‘‘ pompions” were seen by Colum- 
bus in 1498 on Guadalope (F. Columb, 47) ... OC. maxima was observed by 
De Soto in 1542 in Florida, and is known to have been cultivated by the 
North American tribes as far as the St. Lawrence.’ 
April 12, 1528 (Cabeza de Vaca, and Churchiil Coll.), arrival of exped. of 
Pamphilo de Narvaez on north side of Gulf of Mexico, west of Mississippi R. 
Landed, proceeded inland, and observed pumpkins and beans cultivated by the 
natives.” 
About their howses they have commonly square plotts of cleered grownd, 
which serve them for gardens, some one hundred, some two hundred foote 
square, wherein they sowe their tobacco, pumpons, and a fruit like unto a musk 
million, but lesse and worse, which they call macock gourds, and such like, 
which fruicts increase exceedingly, and ripen in the beginning of July, and 
contynue until September; they plant also the field apple, the maracock, a 
wyld fruit like a kind of pomegranett, which increaseth infinitlye, and ripens 
in August, contynuing untill the end of October, when all the other fruicts be 
gathered, but they sowe nether herb, flower, nor any other kynd of fruict.’ 
Perro maxima (Duch.) Peterm. Squash. 
This species is found in tropical and subtropical North America. 
The squash, called by the New England tribes ‘“ askutasquash” (R. Will), 
and cultivated from early times :—observed under cultivation by the natives by 
W. Wood, R. Williams, and Josselyn; is known to have been cultivated through- 
out our middle and southern States; by the natives in the West Indies, as 
appears from Dalechamp pl. 616, and was seen by Chanvalon on Martinique 
(Poiret dict. nat. x1, 234.) * 
To the southwest, whence came the crop plants of aboriginal cul- 
ture in Nebraska, the remains in ruins sometimes reveal the identity 
of plants of ancient culture there. 
The occurrence of squash seeds in some of the mortuary bowls is important, 
indicating the ancient use of this vegetable for food. It may, in this connec- 
tion, be borne in mind that one of the southern clans of the Hopi Indians was 
called the Patui or Squash family.’ 
Pepo pepo, Dr. J. H. Coulter says, “ Has a naturalized variety 
in southern and western Texas, .... (C. tewana Gray).”® 
1 Pickering, Chronological History of Plants, pp. 709-710. 
2Tbid., p. 869. 
3 William Strachey, Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britannia, p. 72 (1612). 
4Pickering, op. cit., p. 747. 
5 Fewkes, Two Summers’ Work in Pueblo Ruins, p. 101. 
® Coulter, Botany of Western Texas, p. 124. 
