The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1897-12-02
INDIANA'S FhnAK CORN.
It Grows on Trees from Prehis-
toric Seed.
The strange Discovery OF seientist.
In Arkansas = Another SIngu-
lar Kind OF Corn
from Russia


from Russia
Dempsy Waggy. farmer residing in T
Madison county. probably has the most /
interesting field OF corn in Indiana. !
Two years ago Waggy and DR.. Cullen.
neighhor. were hunting in Arkansas.
They were staying in small village
named Marked Tree. 1t got its rather
unusual title from the fact that one of
the trees bore strange hierogiyphics of
an extinct race. The small village is
surrounded by many mounds Of re-
markable snakelike contour. During
their stay some northern scientists Wis
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 a dog and of a human be-
ing and also some Theoretically sealed
jars. Both jars were air-tight, and when
opened were found 10 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 a handful OF corn. He wrapped
it up in handkerchief and threw il
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
5000 years.
Wagey 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
maryeiously fast. and as il developed il
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 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 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 25O bushels.
Above the ears the stalk continues
three or four feet and is topped with a
very elaborate tassel The husks sur.
rounding the ears are very heavy, and
as the corn natures they break and cur
back, revealing a firm, yellow-grainet
ear. The grains are very solid and are
exceptionally good for feeding tn,
roots OF the plant are very long ans
bury themselves deep in the ground
While other corn was suffering on ac
count of the drought this year th'
prehistoric corn was green and healthy
Waggy will save all of the yieid hi
year and plant so or 60 acres next year
lie has some Of the stalks and corn ol
exhibition and they are attracting mucl
attention
H. !. Blacklidge. of Anderson, VIII
owns several farms north of that city
also exhibits a freak in corn. A yea
ago a friend in Russia sent him pacF
ace of seed and told him TO plant I
The seeds were very nice and solid an
seemed to be superior to the averag
Indian corn 1t was planted in goo
lowland section, and il outgrew all {
the surrounding corn. 1t was about I'll
same height as the other corn, but wi
a lttle heavier in the stalk. The eai
began to form and silk and every eY'
luton was about in line with that
the other corn which surrounded Il
small patch, except that there wei
two ears on the new stalks to one on II
old.
One day when the strange corn hs
almost matured Blacklidge went out
gather little Of it. He took hold OF
well-formed ear and threw back Il
husks. He was surprised to find instei
of yellow grains of corn series
smaller husks where every grain shou
be. lie opened one of these and -four
it to be properly silked. Underneath
Law second husk, also properly silke
and under it was the grain of cor
Blacklidge figures that the new co
will weld l25 bushels TO the acre, al
Z, that it is superior in dent to the 9th
: corn, but he does not know'how TO ha
die it. Probably it will be fed throu
y a shelter and then subjected to a Ia
ming process. He announces that
T. will plant several acres of it next yei
He cannot classify it with any of t
known varieties.
! A Scottsburg (lnd) farmer who b
! been experimenting for the last +
years claims to have secured a corn Il
will run 150 bushels TO the acre on
: Indiana knobs in the southern p
of the state. ii it will grow to that
!, tent in that locality, it will run alm'
double the number of bushels IN
y, better corn lands of the central a
northern parts of the state,-Chica
~ Record.
y wishing ON Falling stars,