Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-28
A NEW FOOD CEREAL,

The Possibilities of Kamr Corn ms
Developed I'm the Western Plains.
! From the st. Louis Globe Democrat
The question of successful farming in the
semi-arid regions of the great west is solved
at last.
Kaffir corn, first introduced on the Ameri-
can continent from the Kaffir country, In
| Africa, less than a decade since, is still an
unknown product to nine-tenths of the peo-
PIE of the United States.
At first planted here and there as a Curl
| osity, it was found to grow readily in all
localities and under all conditions and ex-
periments developed the fact that it would
mature crop in the driest and hottest sea-
sens on the high western plains. A more ex-
tended planting of the grain and
comparison of results obtained soon devel-
| oped the fact that whether the season was
wet or dry, cool or hot, long or short, this
new product would thrive on all kinds Of
soils with the minimum of care and Guilt
walton, and planted any time between the
| first of April and the middle of July it would
mature an absolutely sure crop of grain
and fodder before the frosts of autumn.
The stalk is somewhat like a single shoot
of common corn, but shorter, attaining
height usually of from four and one-half to
six feet, and having pointed leaves Of a rich
green color. The grain forms in head at
the extreme point of the shoot, where the
tassel is on ordinary corn, the heads being
from seven to twelve inches In length and
six to eight inches in circumference, and
| when ripe look like great white or red
plumes
The grains are almost round, little larger
| than grain of rice and much resembling
a grain of wheat in interior structure.
There are two varieties red and white, the
| latter being the favorite crop. Though
raised as an experiment here and through
out the west for several years, 1t was not
| until the present year that 1t became
prominent crop When the droHth of last
| spring killed the wheat and oats and seemed
| almost certain to ruin the corn, the few who
| had had experience with the new grain be-
| gan to advise their neighbors to plant kaffr
corn, it would grow all right in dry
| weather, and they could thus at least raise
| feed for their stock. The newspapers took
| up the advice, and soon farmers were plant
| ing Kaffir corn, utilizing the ground where
wheat and oats had failed at planting on sod
| or scattered patches where early corn had
| been burned out.
| The planting was continued until well
along in August, the acreage being in many
sections greater than that ever devoted to
| a single crop. In Oklahoma alone nearly
| fifty thousand acres were planted with the
new crop. And every grain of 1T planted
grew and thrived to maturity, and before
the summer was over the farmers began to
wonder what they would do with 1t all.
They knew it was good feed for stock, but
there was not stock enough in the territory
to consume 1t, and the product was yet SO
HeW tildl IL Was HOl TeCoSHlZeu III tHe Out
side markets.
Experience had already developed the fact
that 1t made a most admirable feed, either
to winter stock or fatten them for market,
but with an abundance of the grain on
hand, Oklahoma farmers soon disco yered
that it was better for horses than either
| corn oats, making them fat and stout
and giving them sleek, glossy appearance.
When it came to feeding hogs, it was
| found that they gained flesh more rapidly
than when fed on common corn, and poul.
trymen have found the Kaffir grain a4-
mirable egg producer, and when fed UNI
thrashed the fowls are given exercise in
picking it from the head.
| The boys and girls soon discovered that
1t would pop well popcorn, the grains
popping out large, white and tender and
women in the country found that boiled like
rice, the grain was excellent eaten with
cream and sugar, that mashed into pulpy
mass it made admirable pudding. and it
was also hrst-clasS substitute for hominy.
Still the quantity produced was so great
that the people continued to wonder what
they would do with it.
The owner Of the roller mills at Medicine
Lodge, Kan, ran some of the grain through
his corn meal grinder, and produced a meal
pronounced in every way equal to the ordi-
nary cornmeal, but he was not content with
this, but rugged up a special set of burrs and
produced a new produce that BIDS fair to
create a revolution in the worlds bread
stuffs-kaffir -four
| Some of this flour was made into light
bread. The bread was fully as white as
bread made from second-grade wheat flour,
and was sweet and palatable.