Page 27 - An American Robinson Crusoe

seasons. He, however, knew nothing about planting and harvesting, nor preparing the ground for seed.

He had it all to learn with no teacher or books to instruct him. He found a little space near his dwelling free
from trees and thought he would plant some corn seed here. He did not know the proper time for planting. He
thought because it was warm, seed would grow at any time. It happened his first seed was put in at the
beginning of the dry season. He watched and waited to rejoice his eyes with the bright green of sprouting
corn, but the seed did not grow. There was no rain and the sun's heat parched the land till it was dry and hard
on the upland where his corn was planted.

"Very well," thought Robinson, "I will plant it at the beginning of the wet season, either in March or
September." He did so; the seed quickly sprouted up. But the weeds, shrubs, and vines sprouted as quickly,
and before Robinson was aware, his corn was overgrown and choked out by a rank growth of weeds and
vines.

"I see," said Robinson, "that I must thoroughly prepare the soil before planting my seed." But he had no spade
and no other tool that would stand the strain of digging among tough matted roots. But he must succeed. He
put a new handle in the stone hoe or pick he had already made. His mussel shell spade was worn out. He must
set himself to fashion out another. He decided to make one from the tough heavy wood of a tree that grew
plentifully in the forest.

He was lucky enough to find a tree of this kind whose bole had been split lengthwise by the falling of an old
rotten tree near it. With his stone tools and the help of fire he managed after several days' work to make a
wide sharpened tool out of one of the large pieces split off. It was a little over three feet long. He had trimmed
one end small and cut notches in the sides about one foot from the flat end. He could place his foot in the
notch and thrust his wooden spade into the earth. With his rude tool he dug up and turned the soil of a small
space of ground several times to kill the vines and weeds. His corn quickly sprouted after this attempt and
outstripped the weeds and vines which Robinson constantly had to hold in check by pulling and hoeing. He
was rejoiced at his growing crop and went each morning to feast his eyes on the rapidly expanding leaves and
ears.

One morning as he came in sight of the little clearing he thought he saw something disappearing in the low
brush on the other side as he approached. Alas, his labor had been in vain! A herd of wild goats had found out
the place and had utterly destroyed his crop. Robinson sat down nearby and surveyed the ruin of his little
field. "It is plain," thought he, "I will have to fence in the field or I will never be able to harvest my crop. I
cannot watch it all the time."

He had already learned from his experience in making the fence around the goat pasture that the branches of
many kinds of shrubs and trees, when broken o ff and thrust into the ground, will send out roots and leaves and
at length if planted close together in a line, will form a thick hedge which no kind of beast can get through or
over. He found out some willow trees whose branches broke easily, and soon had enough to thrust into the
ground about six inches apart around the entire edge of his little field, which contained about one eighth of an
acre.

After this hedge had grown so as to be a fair protection to his crop he tried planting again at the proper season.
He spaded up the ground and pulled out the matted roots as best he could and with great pains and care
planted his corn in straight even rows. To make them straight and each hill of corn the same distance from its
neighbors, he first marked off the ground in squares whose sides were about three and one half feet long.

"Now," thought he, "I will reap the reward of my labor." The corn grew rapidly, and toward the end of the
first dry season was filling out and ripening its ears. But to Robinson's dismay a new danger threatened his
crop against which he could not fence. He was in despair. The birds were fast eating and destroying his
partially ripened corn. He could not husk it yet. It was not ripe enough. He thought how easy it would be to