The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-11-04
A KERNEL OF CORN.


But that one kernel of corn was the
cause of a serious dispute, and gave rise
to several questions of honor and fair
dealing which hope the reader viii be
able to settle satisfactorily in his own
mind.
The kernel of corn may be said to be
historic one. 1t was the ancestor of
that variety of field corn once well
known, locally, at least, as the red
Indian corn"-something as now we
have the pine-knot'' corn. the yellow
flint" and the Compton" and the
"lost nation wheat"
As have said, it had curious his
tory, of which the following are the
points of interest.
So far as is known, its origin was on
the farm of a man named Carroll, whose
place Joined that where the present
writer lived when young.
Jim and Ed Carroll were boy neigh
bors, and up to the time of my story,
were very intimate with my brother
Thomas and myself.
That season, Mr.. Carroll had a two
acre field of peach-blow'' potatoes
just below our ine-wall. on the west
side of the road, and well remember
how beautifully they looked when in
blossom. People never seem to look
for any beauty in potato-field; yet |
know of few more beautiful sights than
large field of peach-blow or early rose
potatoes in full bloom.
When hoeing-potato time came, Tom
and changed works, as we called it,
ba a favs hot &c 70 70
the sake working together, we worked
for them one day, and they for us the
next.
Potatoes, az every farm boy knows,
have to be "hilled up" We used to
work two to a row, one killing up one
side of it, the other following him and
killing up the other side. The four of
US could thus carry two rows along at
once, and that almost as fast as one
could walk, after they had been cult
waited out.
One forenoon, as we hoed together in
Mr.. CAROLS two-acre field, Ed and 1
came to fine, fresh shoot of corn
standing alone between two potato
hills in our row.
4" Seems too bad to cut it up" Ed.
said, " it looks so green and nice. Let
it grow with the potatoes if it will"
We pulled out the weeds round it,
billed it up little and let it stand.
That a kernel of common corn had
found its way into the field here and
terminated, was no great wonder. But
this was not common corn, though we
did not then know to the contrary.
1t grew rankly and was soon visible a
long way off, among the low potatoes.
In August, it stood tall, strong stalk
seven feet in height, with remarkably
fine, broad leaves and a bushy tassel,
rich in pollen. Two fine ears had
formed on it.
By the Sth of September the husk
cracked, disclosing the corn, now fully
turned from the milk 1t stood erect in
the field and when the boys came to
dig the potatoes, we noticed it more
particularly.
For, instead of being a golden yellow,
like the common eight-rOwed corn
planted Whereabouts, this corn was of a
deep, reddish tint and ten-rowed. The
ears, too, were very large, fully a foot
in length and very finely formed. The
kernels were evenly set in the rows
along the cob and handsomely shaped.
In fact, as every one who saw it said,
they were two of the handsomest ears of
corn ever raised in that region.
Mr.. Carroll told the boys to let the
stalk stand till the corn was fully
ripened, so as to save it for seed. Many
visitors and all the neighboring farmers
went TO look at it. No one seeing it
knew to what variety it belonged, and
many were the speculations as TO how
it got there.
Some thought it was a stray kernel
left in the soil and somehow preserved
down from the days when the Indians
used to plant corn there, and partly
from that conjecture and partly from
its red color, it got the name of red In
dian corn. Others thought that some
passing crow or jay might have dropped
it-having brought it from a great dis
lance. But nobody knew.
About the middle of September, while
the stalk stood out there, now quite
ripened, thievish cosset-sheep got out
of the COW pasture into the field and go
ing along, pulled down the stalk and
ate both ears. The boys did not see the
old creature till Just as she was MUNICH
ing off the last kernels.
Then they ran at full speed, but were
too late, almost, not quite, for they
found seven kernels in the dirt, which
had fallen from the greedy old creatures
mouth. These they picked up and car
ried to the house.
Now Tom and 1 had taken almost as
much interest in that stalk of corn as
the Carroll boys themselves, for every
one said it would prove a grand new
variety to raise. 1t was stOuter and
evidently harder than the common
corn. and it would yield more corn and
more fodder by one-half to the acre, we
thought. At least. we were enthusiastic
to try it. So we now asked Jim and Ed
to give us one of the seven kernels to
plant next year.
Considerably to our surprise and
greatly to our Indignation, they refused.
But the Carroll boys had been think !
ing, or perhaps their father or others
had told them, that, as the corn was a
new and superior variety, they would
be able to make money BY raising and 1
selling it for seed. So they would not
let us have so much as single kernel, 1
lest we should be rival sellers and come /
in for share of the profits.
They had perfect legal right to keep
it all; vet Tom and did not take that
view. and we were so indignant as often
to speak of them as % pigsr'
The matter made sad breach in our
hitherto friendly relations. The heads .
of the two families took no notice of the I
onarrel: but we bows did not sneak To |