In our garden a row of squashes separated each na´xu from its neighbor.
Four rows of corn running widthwise with the garden made one nu´cami; and as was the na´xu, each nu´cami was separated from its neighbor by a row of squashes, or beans, or in some families, even by sunflowers.
Like those of the na´xus, the rows of the nu´camis often curved to follow some irregularity in the shape of the garden plot. (See [figure 8].)
Hoeing
Hoeing time began when the corn was about three inches high; but this varied somewhat with the season. Some seasons were warm, and the corn and weeds grew rapidly; other seasons were colder, and delayed the growth of the corn.
Corn plants about three inches high we called “young-bird’s-feather-tail-corn,” because the plants then had blunt ends, like the tail feathers of a very young bird.
Corn and weeds alike grew rapidly now, and we women of the household were out with our hoes daily, to keep ahead of the weeds. We worked as in planting season, in the early morning hours.
I cultivated each hill carefully with my hoe as I came to it; and if the plants were small, I would comb the soil of the hill lightly with my fingers, loosening the earth and tearing out young weeds.
We did not hoe the corn alone, but went right through the garden, corn, squashes, beans, and all. Weeds were let lie on the ground, as they were now young and harmless.