No. 76.] 



77 



works and deserted settlements, in rarious parts of the country. Many 

 of these are supposed to reach back to the period of the Mound builders. 

 How far this custom prevailed among the Iroquois, cannot with certainty 

 be determined ; neither do we know whether those caches, which are 

 still discovered in various parts of the State, are to be ascribed to them. 

 It is certain, however, that they were in the habit of charring corn, to 

 preserve it for domestic use. The Senecas still do the same. For this 

 use the red corn is preferred. "When green the corn is picked, and 

 roasted in the field before a long fire, the ears being set up on end in a 

 row. It is not charred or blackened entirely, but roasted sufficiently to 

 dry up the moisture in each kernel. The corn is then shelled, and dried 

 in the sun. In this state it is chiefly used by hunting parties, and for 

 subsistence on distant excursions. Its bulk and weight having been 

 diminished about half by the two processes, its transportation became 

 less burdensome. The Red races seldom formed magazines of grain, 

 to guard against distant wants. It is probable, therefore, that these 

 pits of charred com owe their origin to the sudden flight of the inhabi- 

 tants, who buried their dried corn because they could not remove it, 

 rather than to a desire to provide against a failure of the harvest. 



There is another method of curing corn in its green state, quite as 

 prevalent as the former. The corn is shaved off into small particles, 

 and having been baked over the fire in pans or earthen dishes, it is then 

 dried in the sun. In this condition it is preserved for winter use. 



A favorite article of subsistence is prepared from the charred com. 

 It is parched a second time, after which, having been mixed with about 

 a third part of maple sugar, it is pounded into a fine flour. This is 

 carried in the bearskin pocket of the hunter, and upon it alone he sub- 

 sists for days together. It was also the principal subsistence of the 

 war party on distant expeditions. Its bulk is reduced to the smallest 

 possible compass, and it is so light that the Indian could carry, without 

 inconvenience, sufficient for a long adventure. "When we consider the 

 rapidity of their journeys, and their powers of enduring abstinence, it 

 becomes easy to understand how the war party could leave the valley 

 of the Genesee, make an inroad upon the Cherokees of the south, and 

 return, relying almost entirely upon this species of subsistence. A 

 basket of each of the three varieties of corn, of the two species of dried 

 corn, and of this flour, will be found among the specimens. 



This noble grain, one of the gifts of the Indian to the world, is des- 

 tined eventually to become one of the staple articles of human con- 

 sumption. Over half of our republic lies within the embrace of the 



