The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-10-07
aqrifulturuaI an0 0uHlestit-
,~DI,1 coRv AND IT'S USE As FOOD


IxDIar CORN AND ITS USE As FOOD.
In series of letters written by an American
resident in England, and published IN the PTai-
re Fariaer, We find in an exceedingly interest
ing article upon English Agriculture" some
hints and suggestions about Indian corn and its
proper preparation for use a. food, which WILL
Va think. be found interesting and profitable 10
our readers. We should be glad 10 give all that
the writer says on this subject. but space will
only permit brief extracts. He says:
England ought to enlarge her facilities for
bread: che can much benefit herself by the use
Of Indian corn, in fOur, an article OF food
Il is but little known here-oDly regarded a. a
product for the food Of animals This seems
little strange at fret, that product Of nature
largely used as this is in the United States,
should be 90 little known in England but when
We realize the fact that this great national food
product OF America Is but half appreciated in
the United States-that while ne have been "a
miar with il since the Puritans found it IN tire
Indian villages Of the Eastern coasts, and Tonti,
the companion Of La Sale discovered il 10 Hi
Dois, covered in pits in the earth, when be for a
time eamped Oh his journey from Chicago south
70 discover the Mississippi lat place Oh the IL
hnOs river near the present town OF La Sale -
yet We Americans have not learned 20 apprec-
ate il value, especially as an article OF food II
the people have d. yclOped all its worth. p 70
we're struck out Of existence, it, l0ss would Poe
more severely felt than if wheat itself were all
Initiated. The good house. will make iiom
IL greater variety Of palatable and delicate,
geDteel food, than she can make from the ~heat
-four. There is 10 product that can be raised ln
30 vide degree Of temperature OF climate, Tor
Of such a number and variety Of IL spec "a a.
plant"
" Indian corn is emphatically a New World
blessing-an American product. IL j. vet "a
have much wider sphere Of use 10 the economy
Of human subsistence. We Americans will yet
learn bow 10 use II more scceptably food and
~ love il as such. Europeans will earn the
same lessons.
" But il j. not surprising that the English do
not USE Indian corn, Hhen we see what condition
the little they have here u IN. Corn csbnot be
shipped across the ocean without il jury. have
not yet seen any that has been landed that would
rate above rejected BY Chicago Inspection, and
conclude u u were sent as meal it would be
still worse. No Wonder, then. people will tot
eat II, for il Is really not eatable"
The FIRST great fact which Americans must
learn IN preparing corn Tor food, il To bolt it ike
wheat aud make -four OF il, aud not meal GIVE
the meal 10 hogs and cattle, but put flour into
the house Tor food, and We shsll soon learn To-
love Il # properly cooked Thus two hundred
years Of practice with the great nerican pro
duct has failed TO teach people the first step IN
the great progress ia proper preparation Of corn
for bread, or use in the fanily-that il. the scp
aration Of the hulls, or the hard substance which
nature provides for the covering Of toe KERNEL
Bot Indian corn a. we do wheat, is the oui, suc
cessiul way OF getting people 70 love il
We kIOw TOO, that Indian neal ground Tor
family use, IN the usual manner, soon spol-,
grows strong and musty. Therefore, family COT
sumption has been confined to taking a few
messes from the bag, ground for the hogs, wait
ing for the next milling before more m.a can be
used We then learn the fact that If Ne would
preserve Indian corn for common U.s. A. We
would wheat flour, II must be- kiln dried Corn.
kiln-dried before grinding. will grind uiore rap
idly, ~ill crumole more crisply into tine natural
particles or grains into which, "a -four. 10 should
be reduced. Ii =ho4ld not f0llOS tiat Def re
We make Hour of corn thar we necessarily make.
it As fRe wheat flour II &c did 20. a., should
spoil it again Proper Indian -four will b., 10
grains. and Eill teel gritty Ike fine sand. Into
this form 10 will come more completely when ia
has been kilu dried IL being hard ~ brittle
the keFoel, IN beins siound, ''reaks into natural
divisions, and these grains, when magnliied, seem
ike natural gram uions, supposed e. be- cells
m which ihe oils 1-i"uce, o. some Of the val
liable CONSUME enents ar retained Such
hOur - hrei lt hike and fae- n ,vored hen
cooked
lhel'lse, De che preparation Of Indian
corn for tool, % >houa be- bottled. aud should
be kilu-dried Indian 10ur. Then there are some.
common-sense rules to be observed in the cook
ing-one, particularly, cooking IL a great deal
Indian meal is rot generally bali cooked-it
Il.
or meal and We shall hnd what a really delight
full and useful article Indian corn il Tor human
food Until Americans have learned these sim
pie yet important facts, EnglishmeR cannot be
expected 60 have learned them. In this form
II we put Indian corn before them, there will be
no difficulty, in time, in creating a larg, aud
steady demand for t."