The Old and the New m Corn Culture. 



tortoise shells were used. In the Mississippi Valley, numer- 

 ous stone and flint implements have been found which, from 

 their shape, suggest their use as primitive hoes or spades. 



PLANTS AS INDICATORS OF THE SEASON. 



There were three important periods in the field work of 

 the agricultural Indians : (1) Planting time, (2) roasting-ear 

 time, and (3) the harvest period. After planting, most of 

 the members of the tribes left for other locations for the 

 summer hunt. Usually, some of the women were left to 

 attend to the weeding out of the patches. At roasting-ear 

 time, many returned from the hunt to gather corn and pre- 

 pare it for food, much of it being parched and put away for 

 future use. When the ears were ripe, both men and women 

 joined in the harvest. 



It is of interest to note that the time to return from the 

 hunt to gather the roasting ears and the ripe ears was indi- 

 cated to the hunters by the appearance of prairie flowers, the 

 Indians having learned the relations between the growth 

 stages of corn and other plants. One of these indicator 

 plants was the blazing star, or buttonweed, whose habitat 

 includes the States of the Middle West. According to an 

 informant of the Omaha tribe in Nebraska, this plant was 

 used as follows: When the Indians on their hunting trips 

 saw the first small flower buds appearing on the blazing 

 star, they knew that the corn in their fields at home was ap- 

 proaching the milk stage. When the buds were entirely 

 open, the corn was ready for parching and it was time to 

 return. Later in the season, when the plant was through 

 blossoming, they knew that the corn was ripe and it was time 

 to harvest. Other plants used as indicator plants on the 

 Plains were the cat-tail and the goldenrod. 



SEED SELECTION AND STORING. 



The Indians practiced seed selection and had definite 

 standards. Many tribes discarded the butts and tips, plant- 

 ing only the middle portions of the ears. Some tribes dis- 

 carded ears with moldy cobs or with irregular rows. Well- 

 filled ears were preferred, with straight rows of kernels. 



