Re: Amerindian navigators

[gdwill@earthlink.net (Garry Williams)]

yuku@mail.trends.ca (Yuri Kuchinsky) wrote:


>As far as the question you ask about where did the balsa logs needed for
>making sailing rafts come from, have it ever occurred to you that the
>Native Americans actually may have _planted them_ in the area for the
>purpose of harvesting the logs? What do you think, these are some kinds of
>hardwood trees that need to grow for hundreds of years to reach maturity? 
>Balsa tree is extremely fast growing, just like the corktree. And of
>course we all know about the great sophistication of Native American
>farmers in this area... Yes? The "big problem" that you see there may not
>be a problem at all... So draw your own conclusions.
>

I have a couple of pertinent questions: in the area where you
hypothesize that these trees may have been planted, what, exactly, are
the growing conditions like? What are the average and extreme temps,
the average rainfall, soil types, etc? Along the same vein, what are
the specific conditions needed by the balsa trees?

After you've answered these questions, and assuming the answers don't
rule out the possiblity of the trees having been cultivated in the
region, I should like to know what *evidence* there is that the trees
were actually cultivated in this area?

With the answers to these questions in hand, we should be able to draw
a reasonably accurate conclusion, I should think. 


--
Garry Williams
 gdwill@earthlink.net or
 gdwill@william.salzo.cary.nc.us