THE PUEBLO DWELLERS. 79 
Quite contrary to the usual custom among the North 
American Indians, the men till the fields and do the 
greater part of the work connected with raising and 
harvesting the crops. This is probably because in the 
Southwest agriculture is the chief means of securing 
food while in other regions it is of less importance than 
hunting and fishing to which the men principally 
devote themselves. The only primitive implements 
used in tilling the soil appear to have been the planting 
stick and a knife-like wooden paddle which served as a 
hoe or shovel. Castaneda tells us the ground was not 
broken before planting the seed. He, of course, greatly 
exaggerated the productiveness of the soil when he said 
that one crop was sufficient for seven years. He 
mentions large quantities of corn in Galisteo Valley 
stored in underground chambers. The Hopi pueblos 
still maintain at least a full year’s supply of corn to 
guard against crop failure. 
After the corn is gathered it is thoroughly dried 
either by hanging it in long braids or by spreading it in 
the sun on the roofs of the buildings. It is stored in the 
back rooms of the lower stories where the braids are 
hung up and the loose ears piled in tiers. The pump- 
kins and squash are cut in long strips which are twisted 
together and hung about the houses together with 
many strings of red peppers. 
The Hopi and Zuni have many peach orchards, but 
fruit was not cultivated when the Spanish first became 
acquainted with the Southwest. They did make use of 
pimon nuts which are frequently mentioned. That 
they used cherries, wild plums, the fruit of the yucca, 
and of the various cacti and the pods and beans of the 
mesquite is also probable, although Castaneda says that 
pine nuts were the only fruits used by them. 
