The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-08

Has the Parent Pinnt OF the Cultivated
Grain Been Disooveredt

WITHIN
Fom Garden and Forest.
Many years aSo researches were made 10 es-
tablsh the fact that maize belonged exclusive
" 10 this country aud was of Americansorlgln.
1t was believed in 1897 that the plant in fits
wild state was extinct, and thus one OF the
strongest to lrove IL indigenous
was lost. No evidence could he found In Eu-
rope, Apia. or Africa to show that the plant
existed prior / the voyages OF Columbus, in
1492, or Pizarro, In 1924. Both-of these navi-
gators saw it growing, and we have now rca-
son to believe that the Indians and Ineas made
use OF tho grain many years before these visitors
arrived. We have corn that has been pro-
served FOR several hundred years, and 1t may
have been grown over n thousand years ago.
In n dry state this grain appears to be indie
structible, and ] have In NY possession some
Peruvian corn that is certainly several hun
drcd years old. IL is dry and friablc, is OF n
red color. and yields n white meal. II was
buried with n so-called mummy prior to the
year 1850, and how long before history does
not tell. Peruvian corn was in small ears.
from three To six inches long, and bore grains
pointed on the top. not In rows, but some
what imbricatcd. 1t was evidently far re-
moved from the wild stock.
Primitive corn. or wild corn. which has been
found In several different regions of this con-
hhho'N AhoeAAs Ah"p I" NAbA-
acter OF growth that fits It for long preserva-
tion in a mild climate, although IL planted and
cultivated for a few years. all the character.
ist'c s Of ,,wildness gradually disaupsar. The
cobs OF wild maize arc thin and hard. covered
with lines of mushroom-shape elevations.
each having q wirc'like pedicel growing from
the TOP attached TO a Eiume enclosing a small
any popcorn. These kernel husks overlap
each other toward the point Of the ear, like
the shingles on the roof of a house. The imbrI:
cations are largest and longest ut the butt of
the ear. aud gradually become less pronounced
as they advance in distinct rows to the point.
The Individual glumes are from an inch to two
inches long. and arc much longer than this
larly II the entire ear Is of this character. rs is
proved by q specimen in my collection. Over
these imbriGations is the outside husk. as we
have IL in all cultivated corns. OF course, the
barn and the corncrib soon make winter pro,ec-
ton by the Glumes unnecessary.
riety of corn. and 1t was attached to a mid
climate; hut, Judging from analogy and the
that there were subvarieties, and In them the
grains were of a different color and the Hlu les
striped. The lncas and Indians had different
varieties of corn, and grew ears of several col
ors. some uniform and Others mixed, but their
cobs were thin and sometimes the ears quite
growing in unfrequentcd localities have been
described. five OF which I have seen, and sew
pedicels attached TO the glumes, ana the glumes
The word corn. in man. languages, simply
means grain. Indian corn is Indian grain lis
tinctiveiv, as the Indians had no other. They
had beans, squashea, pumpkins, gourds, and
ionred to the Old World. and hid to be- i'm
ported. The Indians grew corn over l wide
was adapted to it.
Cultivation ha. done wonders with this
we have, perhaps. 100 varieties. The plant
varies from a foot and a half to 10 feet in
in length. We find in modern Indian growths
ears that are or a uniform gamboge-yellow,
white. black. blue and red .besid IS mixed colors.
We have also several varieties of popcorn. sug ar
corn. and field corn. Most of the corn grown by
Indians is in small rounded grains. except that
OF the clitf dweliers, who appear to hay 20 been, in
a measure. an agricultural people. Their
cobs were thin and their grain in rows. but tho
Individual grains were larger and square ended.
Indented corn seems also to have been known
among them.
Every people must have a drink, and If the
process OF distillation is unknown they resort
TO fermentation. Primitive American races
made a drink out OF corn, analogous TO beer,
or after it had dried. This was intoxicating
TO a certain extent. but, fortunately. much
same grain. The drinking mugs of the cliff
d yell-rs bear testimony to their having had
made by the white race in growing this cereal,
and one Of the chief of these is IN the diameter
higL. a. tMenty-four rows.
From four to six ears have been grown on
one stalk, and ears produced Of very remarka-
Bile length. Sugar corn was introduced In
i779. and now it and popcorn have entered
Into the race. and larger varieties are being
produced. The commercial variety known IS
- turkey corn is not maize. and does not bear
It's grain on an ear, but on the top in the tassel.
az the broom corn does. Turkey corn Is about
grain. which is either, white or pinkish. In
the East 1t is known by the name of Dura.
The Turks, and Egyptians grow Indian, corn.
IT Is true. but 1t was originally obtained from
been confolnded by botanical writers. " Bic
de Turquie" is a distinctive gram.
Indian corn in It's wild state has been found
in Arizona. southern Texas. the valley OF Mex
leo. and Central America. Rocky Mountain
corn | have known Il long period Of time: it
has very small ears. Corn has been found
growing wild in the valley OF Mexico. and
Que or the professors in the University of Mex
leo has been experimenting with 1t. and has
live feet high. Wild corn has also been grown
at the Landreths' near Bristol, TO whom IL
was sent from ARIZONA. The last | have seen
was found by DR.. Williams OF Houston. Tex,
part of that State. 1t is n white fliut of fair
size, and fifteen stalks have only produced four
plant is. u very vigorous grower. but it is not
productive. and eight stalks grown in Texas
did not produce n single ear.
RoBERr =. HARRIS. Philadelphia, Pa.
tlndian corn with glumes to each kernel Is
someli..nl like so per cent. of the ears
produced have k ernels without husks. which
fact suggests, that ii, is n strain of ordinary
field corn. II maize has been found naturally
reproducing itself where IL could not have es-
capped from cultivation. or have been produced
from dropped seed, this certainly Is a most in
teresting tact-a fact SO important. indeed.
that botanists will feel INCLINED. to scruliuiZe
the evidence closely before adopting the view
that this wild maize is IL survival of the prchis-
toric form, and not a reversion of cultivated
corn toward the primitive t~ype.-EditOr tar
den aud tUICSt.)
&NIEm~