Having now become aware of the rainy season and the dry season, Crusoe resolved to sow his grain during the dry season. Sowing about two-thirds of his grain, it happened that not one grain came up because of the dry months following. He planted the rest in February, taking advantage of the rains in March and April, and it yielded a good crop. By thus experimenting, he discovered that he could expect two seeding times and two harvests per year.
Taking some time to visit his bower (his summer home), he found to his delight that some of the stakes that he had used in his hedge had grown with long branches so that it supplied him with shade.
After careful observation and bookkeeping, he found that he was able to predict accurately the exact divisions of the year so that he knew reasonably well when he could plant and when he could not. He next learned how to make baskets out of twigs so that he would have containers to hold his harvests. He then endeavored to supply himself with vessels to hold liquids and a pot to boil things in.
Once again, Crusoe decided to explore the island, this time journeying across the island to the opposite seashore. He sees land, which he thinks would not be more than fifteen to twenty leagues away, yet he does not know if it would be the safe land of the Americans or of the Spanish, which would be occupied by cannibals.
He found that this part of the island was much more lush than his own part. On his journey, he caught a young parrot, but it was many years before he could teach it to speak. He also found more she-goats and also some penguins. Even though he realized that this part of the country was nicer than his own, he had begun to think of his part of the island as "home" and he longed to return there.
