Omaha daily bee., 1895-08-27
MARKETS. ron AMERICAN CORN.

The Philadelphia Ledger suggests that
better foreign market could be OBJ
tanned for our immense corn crop If sys-
tematic efforts were made to bring about
the general use OF the cereal for human
food. IL refers 10 n report of the Amer
lean consul at Bradford, England. show
ing how little the value of corn for this
purpose is understood in that country.
and quotes the consul as saying that
he sees no reason why the American
corn market should not be extended in
England for man as well as beast. Ref
ercnce is also made to Il report of the
consul at New Castle-upon-Tyne, who
stated that the entire consumption of
corn in that part of England was con-
fined to horses and cattle. The consul
at Bradford urged that the only way to
build up great trade for any food pro-
duet is to enter the field and work for
il.
Certainly greater effort was never
made to introduce food product any
where than has been made during the
past seven or eight years TO induce the
people of England to accept corn for
human food Atthe Paris exposition of
1887 hundreds of thousands of people
were given an opportunity to test the
merits of this cereal prepared in great
variety of forms ana made as palatable
us the skill of experienced cooks could
render it. Subsequently efforts were
made to introduce it to the tables of the
people of England ana Scotland, and
still later IL most persistent effort was
made to induce the German people to
substitute corn bread for the black COM
pound Of wheat and rye which the
masses of the common people of that
country eat. For a time there was prom
iSe of success. particularly i'll Germany.
where the government manifested an
interest in the matter. The demand for
corn increased and it was confidently
believed that the American corn pro
ducers had found in Europe a market
the demands of which would steadily
grow from year to year. But the fair
promise was not realized and last year
our exports of corn to European markets
fell to relatively insignificant amount.
In Il report from the American consul
general at Frankfort on the Main, re-
Gently published in bulletin of the
Agricultural department showing the
trade of the German empire. it is said:
Corn is largely used for feed and other
purposes, but not as yet to any great
extent for human food Notwithstand-
ing all demonstrations to the contrary
corn is still believed by many Germans
to be unwholesOme. and they prefer the
coarse, black rye bread to the best that
can be made from corn" Other conti-
mental peoples share this belief, while
the people of Great Britain, if not be-
lievng corn to be unwholesome, regard
it as proper food only for cattle.
In view of the deep-rooted prejudice
against corn for human food which the
people of Europe. even the poorest of
them, unquestionably have, there is
lnanifestly little reason to hope for a
satisfactory result from any effort. how
ever Zealously and persistently prose-
cuted, to Introduce corn to the tables of
Europeans as regular food. The task
of overcoming their prejudice and cult
waiting taste for corn seems so hope
less that no one acquainted with the
conditions will advise renewing it, 1t
may be pertinent to remark that if
Americans would eat more corn it
for it in Europe.