Polynesian., 1854-09-30
Tall Corn.


! The n Y. Courier tells the felJowipo story. Is
Is decidedly humorous and may be true.
we grow "talt corn In America The world
Is beginning to find II out. Every wear brings the
fact more and more home to the perceptive and d-
gestIve faculties of alb civilized kumanity Like
all great truths, 1t did not gain credit at once True
everybody sees 1t here with his own eyes but not
so the other side of the water. The first &C.
counts ofthe productveness of our Western prai-
res were read by our Backing nghamshire farmers
with about as much respect as the fish stories Of
SiRbad the Sailor. 1t took even the highest dig
ntar9es OF the land long while to get fairly up To
level with the actual fact. Even al this dav there
Is an ear Of corn in the British Museum which en-
Joys very distinguished consideration" as a Gu
rlOsty- 1t divides attention, we do not sayequay
but certainly tractlOnaliy, with the NIneyeh Bull
and the great Kohinoor. It is perfect marvel to
our good cousin John Bull and yet it has but a
very simple history and it is not very extraordi-
nary ear Of corn after all. it reached its present
distinction something in this wisc
In the month Of January, 1917, at certain dnner
party in London, at which Lord John Russell, Lord
MoTpeth, and many other distinguished men we're
present. the conversation turned upon the Irish fam
Inc; and the remark was made by Lord John, that
he reJOced that good a substitute for the native
breadstutf had been found as Indian Corn. Tur-
ming to Mr.. Bates, the American partner in the
house OF Barring Brothers, has lOrdship went on 10
say, "Why, Bates, some Of the cobS have twelve
or fourteen rows of grain on them" Mr.. Bates
cCOlly replied "Yes, my lord, have seen from
twenty TO twenty-tOur rows on "a cob" That Is a
rank Yankee-ism," was the pleasant retort of the
Premier, and the whole company shouted in ap
proyaL. The burst of increduous merriment over.
Mr.. Bates bought his peace by wager of a din
ner for the company all rCCnd that he could pre-
duce such an ear. "Donem exclaimed Lord John,
and thus the bet was clinched
The dinner passed off Mr.. Bates returned home,
-, - T.. L. i
thing; for the first time in his life he had made an
engagement he was not absolutely certain of his
ability to fulfil. He had misgivings that he had
rashy pledged the honor of his country. 1t had
been long since he had looked upon American
crib; and however patiently he winnowed the corn
ucOpia of his memory, he found that the cObs q
his early days had gone glImmerng, through ths
lapse Of time, among the things that were and
now so far off that he couldn't count the rows. He
was, as Plautus would say, redacus ad invitas, in
Yankee parance 'hard up" But fortune favors
the brave. 1t happened that friend of ours drop
ped in the next day at the countinghOuse of the
Barings. Mr.. Bates. with Frightening face, hail
ed him, and made known his difficulty. "Your
are safe" the response "ifi live to get home,
you shall have even bigger ear than you have
promised"
Our friend G. soon returned, and straightway
wrote to Messrs. Rogers & Reynolds, Of Lefay
cite, Indiana, telling the story, and begging them
for the honor of our country, TO come to the res
cue, and turn the tables on Lord JOHN showing
him what Yankees could do. In the July follow
ing Mr.. G. received by express from Lafayette,
nicely arranged box, containing six ears os
horse-tooth corn, two of which had twentv-nne
rows, two thirty-One and two thirty-twO. The box
was forthwith addressed to -. Bates, Esq, care Of
Messrs. Barring, Bro. s. Co., ship by black Ball
Line, care of the Liverpool House." 1t reached
its destination, and Lord John Russell, First
Lord of the Treasury, third son of the late
Duke of Bedford, by the second daughter of
George Viscount Torlington. and hneal descen-
dant of Lord William Russell, the martyr of liber-
ty, acknowledged the corn" The dinner was
won. Joshua A. Bates did not perpetrate cyan
keeism,,' and the British Museum holds the trophy.
Vve Ia Repubhque