  Soil near the canyon’s rim is too shallow and rocky to produce good crops, but by traveling two or three miles to the north, land could be found where the soil is deep enough to retain moisture. Here seeds could be planted with a sharpened stick and tended with a stone hoe. No doubt the cliff dwellers had summer camps near these fields where dark-eyed watchers maintained constant vigil to keep away birds and squirrels seeking to dig up the seeds, and later, the deer, rabbits and other animals that came to eat the tender plants. What a struggle it must have been to raise crops without benefit of steel tools, fences, insecticides, and other advantages now considered necessary. Planting with sharpened stick The Indians farmed at the upper limit of elevations where corn, beans, and squash may be expected to mature, because of the short growing season, which is usually not more than 115 days. Since they had no Weather Bureau, they may have observed the vegetation like certain eastern Indians who watched the oaks until the first leaves were as large as a Red Squirrel’s foot, when they knew it was time to plant their corn. However, there must have been unseasonal frosts such as occurred on August 15, 1949, when present day farmers in this vicinity found their crops severely damaged or completely ruined. Then is when the Indians needed a reserve supply of seed for next year’s planting. Sunflower seeds were also found in the dwellings, but whether these were cultivated or gathered from wild varieties still abundant in this vicinity is not known. An understanding of the cliff dweller’s farming activities may be approached by studying the Hopi Indians who live on a reservation about 70 miles north of Winslow, Arizona. Most families have a farm or garden plot where corn, beans, and squash are still the principal crops. At Hotevilla some gardens are found on a terraced hillside, each garden with an embankment around it to retain moisture, and producing a pattern resembling a waffle when seen from above. Some Hopis travel four or five miles on foot each day to cultivate their fields and return home with the setting sun. |
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