Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-19
AMERICAN CORN FOR EUROPE.
Secretary Rusk's Deserved Recognition OF
a Man Who Has Been Pushing Johnny
Cake at His Own Expense-A New and
Important Market Opening for Our

| WASHINGTON, Oct. 1s-The recent appoint
ment by Secretary Rusk Of Charles ]. Muir
| ply to be special agent Of the Agricultural
| Department in Great Britain, France and
| Germany recalls an interesting story and
marks the first step in the sustained and de
| termined effort which the Agricultural De
partment will make TO introduce American
corn into Europe for use as a breadstuff
| Special Agent Murphy's duties will be to use
| means at his discretion to bring before the
public of Europe the knowledge of the vir
| tues of corn bread and the other food prod
| ucts of the great American staple.
Murphy has been well known in Berlin,
London and Paris for the last three years as
"Corn-cake Murphy" He derived this
soubriquet from his long-continued and
earnest efforts to convince the skeptical for
eigners that Indian corn is good to eat. He
went abroad for the express purpose of in
Producing corn among the European people,
and for three years he has labored con-
stantly to this end, expending his own
money and time in the effort.
The writer's acquaintance with Murphy
began in London. While dining at the Ho-
tel Metropole with party of Americans /
was very much surprised to have the waiter
place upon the table a great dish of hot
Johnny ca es." Actually, the little round,
Drowned and fragrant John ny cake that
you can find on any table to-day south of
Mason and Dixons line. There was also a
big "pone" of hot "egg bread, that delicious
combination OF cornmeal, eggs and yeast
powder that raylshes the taste at q South
ern breakfast
Surprise for Visiting Americans.
Accompanying this unlooked-for donation
was card upon which was written: "With
the compliments of Charles j. Murphy"
learned subsequently that it was Murphy's
habit to surprise visiting Americans with
delicious cornbread, especially if an Eng
glishman or two or a Frenchman or German
happened to be at table,
Murphy had with him an old Virginia
darkey as cook, and she prepared all the
specimens of cornhread with all the art in
her power. He told me he had visited all
the prominent cooking schools in the United
Kingdom, had prepared before the princi-
pals and pupils the various products of corn,
from blanc mango down to johnny cake and
corn-starch pudding. But the Britons were
slow to relish the new food. They seemed
to be unable to get rid of the idea that they
we're eating horse feed, for they were accus-
toned to seeing corn in the feed trough and
not in the dough tray. Poor Murphy had
tried hundred different ways to get his
corn bread before the people. had proven Its
virtues to the commi5sary department OF
the army and navy, but he did not report
any great increase in the importations of
American corn as the result of his efforts.
Some time after this met Murphy again,
this time at the Exposition in Paris. He
looked bit seedy and as though e5 note
would not come amiss. "They call mo
crank" he said, bitterly. ~ have tried to
products at the Exposition, but the Director
General has snubbed me and treated me
with actual rudeness. l have spent all my
money in these efforts Of the past two years,
10 vi in fho hn oil
when they will recognize our corn. Then
our own farmers would be benefited and the
half-starved poor of Europe Id find
veritable God-send in the bread ade from
our corn. have no mercenary interest in
the matter. l am working for what be-
lieve to be q philanthropical end, and it is
hard to be treated like q long haired crank
with flying machine or the recipe of the
elixir of life"
An Appointment From Rusk.
There was something touching in the story
of this man, and his apparently fruitless en-
deavors in good cause. But the tide was
about to turn, and in his favor. One day he
received a letter from Secretary Rusk of the
Department of Agriculture. Uncle Jerry"
had heard of his efforts and his objects, and
the object was directly in line with policy
which the Department. of Agriculture had
determined upon. Would Mr.. Murphy ac-
cept position as special agent of the Agri-
cultural Department at a salary of 81, 900 per
year7 And would he continue his efforts to
find a great foreign market for the corn
which the Kansas farmers were using for
fuel2
The first thing that Murphy did after ac-
cepting the position was characteristic of
him. He posted Off to Edinburgh where an
$1,000 Of his years salary as payment for
some space at the exposition. Then he put
in 5000 additional of his salary for cooking
apparatus, ETC., and commenced the manu-
fI1Ts nj iDlr 1Tan a
large scale, much to the delight of the canny
Scots who found Murphy's corner in the
building very attractive about lunch time.
This effort had an immediate and import
ant result. The Edinburgh Gas Company
became interested in the matter, and agreed
with Murphy to furnish every cooking
school in Scotland with a gas stove upon
which to cook the corn bread. Then Murphy
visited other great cities in Britain, and has
created vigorous demand for cornmeal.
A Trial In Germany.
Last week the Agricultural Department
received a cablegram from Berlin an
the fact that Murphy had sue
ceeded in interesting the German Govern
ment in cornmeal, and that fair trial will
be given the cereal with view to recon-
mepding cornmeal for general use in this
time of scarcity of breadstutfs on the conti-
nent. This welcome news is of far more i'm
portance to the American farmer than ap-
for it means that vast quantities of corn will
be shipped from the United States this win.
ter, not only to Germany, but to the other
on the continent that are also suf-
fering from short crop of Dreadstutfs this
year.
Everyone is familiar with tho desperate
strait in which Germany finds herself, as the
result of her own short crop of cereals, and
the Russian ukase, forbidding the exporta-
tion of rye from Russia hitherto the chief
Of SnnnlV mi
and lower classes of Germany eat very little
pure wheat bread. Their staff of life is a |
coarse black bread, made from flour ground |
from mixture of rye and an inferior quail |
Ity of wheat The CONSUMPTION of this ma |
terial is so enormous that in 1890 Germany |
9i7,375 tons of it, IS per cent of |
which came from Russia, as well as So per
cent of the total import of wheat. The Cars |
edict, therefore, cuts Off nearly fve-sixths OF |
The entire foreign rye supply of Germany.
The difficulty of filling this deficit by in
creased importation from other sources will |
De readily perceived when it is remembered |
hat the entire export of rye of the six coun-
;ries which rank next to Russia as producers |
If that cereal is barely one-fourth of the rye |
IMPORT of Germany from Russia alone for
he year 1890
Must Look to America.
The deficit for Germany cannot be sup
,lied in Europe, therefore. 1t must come
rom the other side of the Atlantic. The
of this fact has "bulled" the rye
market to startling degree. One year ago
ye was selling in Berlin for $50 per gross ton
# 2240 pounds. On August last the knowl-
dge of the short crop had raised this price
o $52 "a per ton. Within l9 days after the
publication of the Russian ukase the price
lad risen to SCI sS per ton, and is still going
p.
The outcome of this situation will be that
must find cheaper bread staple.
he United States offers cornmeal, and the
arfT aTlt nf 10
8 soon as the Germans become familiar
,itn inhnn ucn Ike and rnIIsh n nd mill tho |