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The women commonly affift one another in their 

 labour in the fields, and when reaping time comes, 

 they have fometimes recourfe to the men, who then 

 condefcend to put their hands to work. ' The 

 whole concludes with a feftival and with a feaft, 

 which is given in the night. Their corn and other 

 fruits are prefer ved in repositories which they dig 

 in the ground, and which are lined with large 

 pieces of bark. Some of them leave the maize in 

 the ear, which is tufted like qur onions, and hang 

 them on long poles over the entry of their cabbins. 

 Others threfh it our. and lay it up in large bafkets 

 of bark, bored on all fides to hinder it from heat- 

 ing. But when they are obliged to be from home 

 for any time, or when they apprehend fome ir- 

 ruption of the enemy, they make great conceal- 

 ments under ground, where thefe forts of grain are 

 exceeding well preferved. 



In the northern parts they fow little, and in feve- 

 ral places none at all, but purchafe maize by way 

 of exchange for other commodities. This fort of 

 pulfe is very wholefome, nouriming, and light upon 

 the ftomach. The way in which our French Canadi- 

 an travellers commonly drefs it, is to boil it a little in 

 a fort of lye. In this (late it keeps a long time ; they 

 commonly make their provifion of it for long jour- 

 neys, and compleat the dreffing of it as they want 

 it, by boiling it in water or in broth, if they can 

 get any, with a little fait along with it. 



This is no difagreeable eating, but many are of 

 opinion, that the too conftant ule of it is prejudicial 

 to the health, the lye giving it a corrofive quality, 

 the effects of which become fenfible after fome 

 time. When the Maize is in the ear and {till green, 

 fome roaft it on the coals, in which way it has an ex- 



i ce.ient 



