The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1897-03-17
INDIANA'S FREAK CORN.
1t Grows on Trees from Prehis-
toric Seed.
The Strange Discovery of Scientists
In Arkansas = Another singu-
lar Kind Of Germ
from Russia.

interesting field of corn in Indiana.
Two years ago Waggy and DIR. Cullen.
a neighbor. were hunting in Arkansas.
They were staying in a small village
named Marked Tree. 1t got its rather
unusual title from the fact that one Of
the trees bore strange hieroglyphics OF
an extinct race. The small village is
surrounded by many mounds of re-
markable snakelike contour During
their stay some northern scientists vs-
tied the mounds and began explora-
tions, finding many trinkets. Going
deeper they found bones of humans and
trinkets which had been buried with
them. In one Of the Theoretically sealed
reeeptacles, which was evidently the
last resting place Of one of the rulers,
the explorers found ornaments, the
skeletons OF dog and of a human be-
ing and also some hermetically sealed
jars. Both jars were air-tight and when
opened We're found to contain corn. 1t
was as bright, yellow, solid and dry as
though il had just been shelled. The
explorers took these vessels, but gave
Waggy handful of corn. lie wrapped
it up in a handkerchief and threw it
into his travelling chest, There it lay
for two years. Scientists claimed that
there were ample proofs that the body
and the corn had been inferred at least
1000 years and probably as long as
1900 years.
Waggy came across the seeds last
spring and planted them in his garden.
He was surprised when tiny blades shot
up through the ground. The corn grew
marvelously fast, and as ii developed it
threw out new mysteries almost daily,
until to-day the stalks are ten to twelve
feet in height and are somewhat on the
order Of a tree, being as thick as a mans
wrist at the ground. Three feet from
the ground they shoot out three long,
palmlike leaves. The leaves are heavy
and very solid, resembling a cactus leaf.
Some Of them are five feet long from
tip to tip. These are the only leaves
on the stalk About two feet further
up are the ears of corn. Many stalks
bear six ears and none has fewer than
four ears. at this rate it is figured
that the average Yield to the acre would
be about 250 bushels.
Above the ears the stalk continues
three or four feet and is topped with
very elaborate tassel. The husks sur
rounding the ears are very heavy, and
as the corn natures they break and curl
back revealing a firm, yellow grained
ear. The grains are very solid and are
exceptionally good for feeding. The
roots of the plant are very long and
bury themselves deep in the ground.
! While other corn was suffering on ac-
count of the drought this year the
| prehistoric corn was green and healthy.
Vaggy will save all of the yield this
year and plant so or GO acres next year,
| He has some of the stalks and corn on
exhibition and they are attracting much
| attention.
H. j. Blacklidge, of Anderson, who
owns several farms north of that city,
| also exhibits a freak in corn. A year
ago a friend in Russia sent him pack,
age of seed and told him to plant it.
| The seeds were very nice aud solid and
seemed to be superior to the average
Indian corn. 1t was planted in good
lowland section, and it outgrew all OF
| the surrounding corn. 1t was about the
same height as the other corn, but was
a little heavier in the stalk The ears
began to form and silk and every evo-
luton was about in line with that OF
the other corn which surrounded the
small patch, except that there were
two ears on the new stalks to one on the
old.
One day when the strange corn haC
almost matured Blacklidge went out tc
gather little of it. He took hold of ;
well-formed ear and threw back the
husks. He was surprised to find instead
of yellow grains of corn a series o
smaller husks where every grain shoulC
be. He opened one of these and foun(
it to be properly sill1ed. Underneath i
lay second husk also properly silked
and under it was the grain of corn
Blacklidge figures that the new corr
will yield 125 bushels TO the acre, anC
that it is superior in dent to the othe
corn, but he does not know how to han
die it. Probably it will be fed through
shelter and then subjected TO a fan
ming process. He announces that h
will plant several acres of it next yeal
He cannot classify it with any Of tn
known varieties.
A Scottsburg (Ind.) farmer who ha
been experimenting for the last FEY
years claims TO have secured a corn tha
will run $50 bushels to the acre on tn
Indiana knobs in the southern par
of the state. If it will grow to that eS
tent in that locality, it win run almos
double the number of bushels in tn
better corn lands of the central an
northern parts of the state.-Chieag
Record
Wishing ON Failing stars.