Let us turn now and take a look at the farming accomplishments of the
American Indians. The oft repeated statement that the Indians lived
mainly by hunting and fishing so far as it pertains to the Virginia
tribes is far from the truth.
The bitter struggles between the white men and the Indians during
the colonial period created animosities and prejudices which have
overshadowed the beneficial contributions the red men have made to
civilization. As plant breeders, the American Indians rank with the
most skillful of the world. Take for instance, maize or Indian corn.
There is nothing closely comparable to it known to botanists. It has
been domesticated so long that its wild prototype is unknown. Maize,
now, could not exist anywhere in the world without the aid of man.
The Indians had all the varieties that are now known, such as dent,
flint, sweet, early, late, pop, and other special sorts which are no
longer grown. They had developed varieties that matured all the way
from the tropics to the St. Lawrence River in Canada.
The Indians also practiced a mixed culture such as corn, beans, and
squashes all in the same hill; they had created a large number of
varieties of beans (_Phaseolus genus_): the white, red, black, and
spotted sorts now so commonly grown, and many others.