St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1860-02-16
st. Charles City, Iowa, Feb. 16, 1860.
AMERICAN CORN.

Our star-spansled banner" OF
course, is flag which has had an ear
of corn rolled over it--that monarch
of all the grain of the world being
found only in America. Like all 9TH
er national claims to superiority. this
claim of America to "corn." as it's in.
digenous peculiarity, is disputed by
the carping philosopher and, at the
meeting Of the Scientific Association
last summer, it was made a question
Of discussion. Says the Report
Indian corn is not known in Eu.
| rope. Some years ago young Eng.
lish gentleman carried home with him
as walking-cane a stalk of Indian
corn, neatly vanished. His old coun.
try friends admired it very much, and
farmers inquired what wood it was
made OFF, naturally comparing its
lightness with their own heavy tim.
ber The youngster gravely informed
them it was the straw of the Ameri-
can corn, with which the Yankees lit
tered their cattle He then added t.
their surprise by presenting large
ear of Indian corn, the grain produced
by such straw. The English farm
ers invariably placed the corn ear ON
top Of the stalk, supposing it grew
like wheatcorn."
We add passage Or two from the
discussion
"Dr. Gibbon did not pretend that
Indian corn, tobacco, or cotton, grew
native in any portion of Europe yet
he had no doubt those plants existed
in Asia and Africa before Columbus
discovered America.
Prof Gray, of Cambridge College,
who had early interrupted the reading
of this paper, said, DR. Gibbon had
proved that the people of the countries
to which he referred, used breadstufs
in the same way in which we use In
dian corn but he would like to hear
one single piece of evidence that In
dian corn was known before the dis.
covcry of America by Columbus"
PROF. w. d. Whitney of New Ha
ven. said he thought it hardly fair to
rob America of the honor of having
furnished such an important esculent
as Indian corn to the world He OBJ
jected to a general disposition to take
away from America the credit of her
natural productions' The potato was
always called Irish and the turkey
was named the Calcutta cock as if
it came from India"
DIR. Gibbon replied, he could not
regard this as a question of patriotism,
but one Of scientific truth. He had
no disposition to deprive America of
any of her honors, but wished to know
where the Almighty had originally
planted Indian corn not where GER
tain professors decide it ought to have
been grown for the honor of the coun-
try !"
"Hon. George Folsom, of New
York, inquired Of Prof Gray, if there
did not exist in Oriental countries at
the present day, variety Of Indian
corn p"
"Prof. Gray replied he had no
doubt of it,"
Mr.. Folsom said he had no doubt
of it, for he had seen Indian corn in
Egypt, where it was manufactured
into meal, very much. like our corn
cakes"
PROF. Gray asked, if it was In
dian corn, or dowra, which was probd
bly, our broom corn p"
" Mr.. Folsom replied, he saw both
Indian corn and dowra there, but they
were both called by the same name He
could not learn that there was dis
tinctive name for each, although he
repeatedly endeavored to do so. One
was sorghum, or millet, and the other
was small variety Of what we call
Indian corn"