Omaha daily bee., 1888-12-22
A CORN EXHIBIT At PARIS.

The farmers OF the great corn belt, In
which Nebraska is embraced. will be
interested in n plan submitted TO the
produce exchange and grain merchants
Of New York for a special corr exhibit
at the Paris ~internationa al exhibition to
be held mex year. The idea is TO erect
a separate pavilion, to be covered in
side and outside with maize in the form
OF grain, ear, stalk and sheaf, within
which will be prepared and dispensed
free, the various articles of food made
from maize. The design of the pavil-
ion would render it one OF the most
unique and attractive features of the
exposition, and the intention is to
have the food prepared by real southern
"Dinahs' and New England cooks pro-
ficient in making all the palatablc va
riety of pones, dodgers and cakes that
IA be prepared from corumeal. 1t is
proposed that lectures shall be given on
the value of corr for human food and its
methods Of preparation, and to dis
tribute pamphlets in various languages.
The object of demonstrating to Eu-
ropeans that wholesome, nutritious and
palatable food can be prepared from
corn is one of genuine b~eneicence.
Statistics recently obtained show that
few Europeans have become maize
eaters, and its value and APP
petizing qualities as food remain
almost unknown to the toiling classes
on the continent, who continue to eat
their bitter black bread or spend more
than they can afford for wheaton loaves.
Millions of Europeans would be greatly
benefited could they be induced to sub
~stitute, in part at least, corn bread for
the wheaton article they now use, and
American corn raisers would also secure
a very material advantage. 1t is in
teresting to note that while our eXporta-
tions of wheat and wheat flour range
from twenty-five to thirty per cent OF
our whole crop, the exports of corn and
corn meal are generally only two
or three per cent Of the whole
crop. and have never gone as
high as seven per cent. A very small
part of our corn export goes to Europe,
the larger proportion going to the
West Indies and British possessions.
Last year Germany, France and Bel
GUM together imported only about six
million bushels of our corn, and this
was principally for feeding live stock.
The commissioner of agriculture says
OF this project: "There is not a rail-
road running through the great corn
belt of the United States, not a produce
exchange at our principal corn and
export centers, that is not es-
p~ecially and directly interested as
a beneficiary in this work. If
carried out it will enhance the value of
every acre of land in the corn belt"
The project has the support of many
members of the New York produce ex-
change, and the only difficulty IN the
way of carrying it out may be found in
securing an additional appropriation
from congress, which will be asked for.
An endeavor will also be made to in
duce the legislatures of the corn-grow-
ing states to make appropriations for
the object, and it is quite probable that
such states would consider the project
favorably. No other exhibit the United
States will make at Paris would proba-
bly, be more valuable in results than
that of u corn exhibit in the manner
proposed, and the project merits hearty
encouragement.