ot take the pains to plant, having enough
of it growing everywhere, though they often eat it; this fruit is
about the size of a pullet's egg.

Sec. 20. Besides all these, our natives had originally amongst them Indian
corn, peas, beans, potatoes and tobacco.

This Indian corn was the staff of food upon which the Indians did ever
depend; for when sickness, bad weather, war, or any other ill accident
kept them from hunting, fishing and fowling, this, with the addition of
some peas, beans, and such other fruits of the earth, as were then in
season, was the family's dependence, and the support of their women and
children.

There are four sorts of Indian corn: two of which are early ripe, and
two late ripe, all growing in the same manner; every single grain of
this when planted produces a tall upright stalk, which has several ears
hanging on the sides of it, from six to ten inches long. Each ear is
wrapt up in a cover of many folds, to protect it from the injuries of
the weather. In every one of these ears are several rows of grain, set
close to one another, with no other partition but of a very thin husk.
So that oftentimes the increase of this grain amounts to above a
thousand for one.

The two sorts which are early ripe, are distinguished only by the size,
which shows itself as well in the grain as in the ear and the stalk.
There is some difference also in the time of ripening.

The lesser size of early ripe corn yields an ear not much larger than
the handle of a case knife, and grows upon a stalk between three and
four feet high. Of this may be made two crops in a year, and perhaps
there might be heat enough in England to ripen it.

The larger sort differs from the former only in largeness, the ear of
this being seven or eight inches long, as thick as a child's leg, and
growing upon a stalk nine or ten feet high. This is fit for eating about
the latter end of June, whereas the smaller sort (generally speaking)
affords ears fit to roast by the middle of June. The grains of both
these sorts are as plump and swelled as if the skin were ready to
burst.

The late ripe corn is diversified by the shape of the grain only,
without any respect to the accidental differences in color, some being
blue, some red, some yellow, some white, and some streaked. That
therefore which makes the distinction, is the plumpness or shriveling of
the grain; the one looks as smooth and as full as the early ripe corn,
and this they call