The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-12-04
Indian Corn.


I OF all crops raised in the temperate
zone, Indian corn yields the greatest
= amount of food in proportion to the
, labor expended in its culture. While
it grows with the most luxurlance
between the thirty-fifth ond forty
second parallels it flourlshes in much
wider range, being grown at eleva-
tions in the northern Hemisphere 8, 600
feet above the level of the sea, and at
far greater attitudes south of the equa
tor. Its geographical range, however,
is much less than that of wheat, yet this
is more than counterbalanced by its
hardness, together with the rapidity
with which ii natures and. the quaint
ity of the product per acre. A COM
parison however, of these two great
cereals is unnecessary. Both are in
dispensible and over-shadow in inn
PORTAGE all other cereals. While
wheat is better adapted to the central,
northern and northwestern portions
of the country, the Southwest is pc
culiarly adapted to corn. Corn thrives
best in moderately moist and high
temperature. The report of the de-
partment of agriculture upon the corn
crop of the past season is suggestive
on this point. Owing to the dry
weather in various parts of the
country north of the Ohio river, and
i'm western Kansas and Nebraska the
crop is considerable below the aver
age, white in the Middle States as
well as in the South Atlantic and
Gulf States the yield is above an aver
age. The soil of an immense area in
the Southwest is peculiarly adapted
70, ,>Innf lalirl1tS i'm GlInl n =
are permeabe to heat and air, and the
roots Of the plant. Given these, and
Il mean temperature of 10 degrees and
a rainfall of about ten inches during
the growing period, and it tiourlshes
in its highest excellence. While there
are large areas in the uncultlvated
portions of the Southwest that are arid
and unfruitful, there are other and
wider areas that are fertile upon which
corn will eventually be cultivated
because of their especial adaptation to
the crop, and thus the increase in the
production will go forward for long
time to come in a ratio similar to thta
which has hitherto marked the his
tory of this cereal in the United States
The future of the American corn
product is an interesting question.
Our own requirements are increasing
at rapid pace, while the demand
from Europe is constantly assuming
larger proportions. 1t has not been
long since it began to dawn on the
minds of transatlantic people that
Indian corn-meal could be made into
human food as well as
that the raw material is food for do
nestle animals. The prejudice against
it is gradually giving way, as is shown
by our increasing exports of both corn
md corn-meal. Cheap, wholesome and !
hedemand forit will increase
md, year by year absorb more of our !.
production Of this great
cereal. AS from IFS discovery it has !
played II conspicuous part in American $
so in the future it is des- !
ined to have Il vast influence upon |
he economic relations between this '
'ountry and other nations. Messrs.
Read and Pell, in their recent report
IS commissioners of the British gov Z
to investigate our agricul- :
ural resources and capacities, spoke of !
American corn production as "neXt
II Importance to wheat if not claiming
irst rank In our growth and de-
'elopment as nation the part of this
ereal has been of great significance, c
md in our future progress it will {
hardly be less conspicuous. {