The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-11-23
Why Popcorn Pops.
Why does popcorn pop?

Why does popcorn pop?
Ask the first twenty learned men you
can find and not one of them will be able
to tell you. The secret lies in the struct.
urc of the grain, which is very wonderful
indeed.
In the center Of each grain Of popcorn
is the "germ" of the future plant. 1t
holds the vital element of the seed.
What is 1t like? Well, 1t is about the
size Of large pin.head. It's outer coat
is membrane of woody matter, inside
of which ia m oily substance containing
nitrogen and phosphorus. EMBEDDED in
this oily substance ia the nucleus"
The nucleus" is the true gem.-the
essential life principle of the seed. 1t iH
chiefly composed of albumen, and is just
big enough to be seen with the naked
eye. Small as 1t is it contains mystery
which no man has ever solved or is ever
likely to solve--the mighty secret of re-
production. However, there are more
things of interest to be noticed In the
outer structure of the popcorn grain.
Gathered around the germ are granules
of starch, arranged in layers and so reg
ulnrly placed as to resemble crystalline
structure. In fact, like crystals, though
they are not such, these granules
possess the peculiar property Of "polariz-
ing" light. Seen under the microscope
they have very beautiful forms. Between
each two layers of them is q woody MEM
brane, and covering the whole is the
hard external envelope of the corn grain,
composed of a woody matter with q large
proportion of mineral substances, such as
lime, silex, potash and magnesia.
Think what an amazing quantity Of
nutritious food is thus packed in a little
space for the use of the embryo plant,
which first absorbs the nitrogen and
phosphorus contained in the so.called
germ" envelope, afterward consuming
the starch and 80 getting ready to sprout.
A popcorn grain has precisely the same
substance as a grain of ordinary corn. 1t
is simply variety Of the same species OF
plant. Why, then, will not common corn
pop7 1t will do so, as you can find out
for for yoeHfssh by tfyi but it does not pop
nearly so we'll, though now and then
grain will excsllently. The reason is
that the starch granules in popcorn are
packed more tightly and the woody
membranes between the layers are thin
ner and more easily ruptured. Heat
causes the water that is in the starch to
expand, the external envelope is burst
open and the grain turns itself inside out,
becoming fifteen times its original size or
more and showing the pretty white starch
outside.
This is the reason why popcorn pops.
The best popcorn is the light'yellow
kind with small pointed grains. There
is hardly farm in the West that does
not have its patch of popcorn for home
consumption, but nearly all Of the pop
corn raised for market is produced in
New England. a story is told of
Massachusetts farmer who had barn
half filed with popcorn newly harvested
and "shucked." The building caught
fire, the popcorn popped and an enor-
nous wave of it rolled down hill, cover.
ing up the farm houses SO that only the
chimneys were to be seen, and the fami'
lies had to be dug out by the neighbort
with snow sbovels. At present the busi-
ness of manufacturing buttered popcorn
is conducted on q vast scale in Chicago
and elsewhere, millions of packages of il
being distributed for sale all over the
United States Washington Star.