Native Americans knew a lot about plants. They learned to plant the corn, squash and beans. They called them The Three Sisters. The beans grew up the corn and the squash kept the soil healthy. They even knew sunflowers had oil! The oil was protection for hot or cold weather and oil was also used to treat wounds. The Iroquois planted food like lima and kidney beans, corn, sunflowers, pumpkin, melon, squash and tobacco. They soaked the seeds of corn in a pot of water before they planted them.                                           

    Women and men of a clan farmed. The Iroquois farmed in fields that they cleared. They girdled the trees by cutting a layer and peeling a strip around the tree. They used tools for farming like hook shaped wooden rakes for leveling and wooden spades.