Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1897-01-14

SWsg5p ious, who wrote as
&M-1 long ago as 1885,
w and is still our
best authority,
was OF opinion that Indian corn was
indigenous both in China and in south
western South America. The prehis-
toric evidence afforded by comparative
philology, establishes the fact that
wheat and barley were cultivated by
race dwelling somewhere on the plains
OF Central Asia, at time so remote
that out Of their language as the
mother tongue, grew, in the course Of
many centuries the Latin, the Greek
and the Sanscrit. and the whole tribe
OF Indo-Eqropean speeches. And the
same kind OF testimony, gathered from
geological investigation in South
America, and from ancient tombs,
shows contlusively that Indian corn
was there cultivated at a period long
anterior to the dynasty OF the Incas,
which commenced in the twelfth cen
fury. However, Humboldt, the uni
yersal sav4nt says there is no doubt
In the minds of botanists, that Indian
corn is truly American plant, and
that the new world gave 1t to the old.
Those who are of his opinion say it
was on his return from his first voy-
age, In the year 1893, that Columbus
brought to Europe the first grains of
Indian corn, and thence its cultivation
spread into Portugal and the south Of
Europe. The Portuguese, who were at
that time the great navigators Of the
world, having doubled Cape Horn pre-
viously, and discovered Java in 1895,
introduced it along the African coast
and into Java; and thence its cultiva-
ton spread into India and China, and
Indian corn was correctly figured in a
Chinese work on agriculture as early
as 1862.
The weight Of Humboldt's testimony
is enormous on any such question as
this; but then is it not quite as rea-
sonable to believe that Indian corn
may have been indigenous to China,
and have been long cultivated there,
as to suppose that in the comparative
ly brief space of little more than half a
century, it should have been transfer
red from America to Europe thence to
Java, thence to China, and have been
80 generally adopted and cultivated by
that cautious and slow moving people,
as to have been figured in a book so
short a time after its introduction to
the country? The arguments derived
from vegetable physiology, strongly
favor Its eastern origin; because, while
farther India and China contain many
native plants Of related genera, like
sorghum and millet, very little, if any
thing Of the kind, is to be found among
the botanical productions Of South
America. BY the barest possibility,
Indian Corn may have been introduced
into some portions Of North America
by the Chinese, some centuries ago.
And the present remote probability
may become reasonable one, IL mod
ern antiquarians succeed in establish
ing the fact Of the discovery Of
America by the Chinese, at least a
thousand years before its discovery by
COlumbus-a triumph Of skillful and
successful research which may not be
far off. But whatever the origin Of
Indian corn may have been, whether
on the slopes Of the Andes or in the
fertile valleys of the mountains of
China, modern botanlsts and natural
lists are pretty we'll agreed that the or
iginal Indian corn belonged to the
species known as Zea Tunica. or
clothed Indian corn, each kernel of
the ear being enveloped in a separate
tunic or husk, the grains of which may
be Of various shapes, and colored yell
low, white or red. Descending and de-
parting from this species, the varieties
Of Indian corn have become innumer4
able, each country and climate, every
soil, situation, and parallel, having one
or more especially suited to the cir
cumstances; so that an extensive col
lection Of the varieties OF Indian corn
would contain specimens from IS
inches high to as many feet, with ears
ranging in size from that Of a lady's
finger to that Of the forearm of a
strong man. No cereal accepts the
notifications Of soil and climate, as
easily and quickly as Indian corn; not
even the cucurbiticea cross each other
with greater facility. Few plants and
no other cereal succeed equally well
from the equator to so degrees north
and south latitude, and no one of them
Is more easily and readily preserved |
through all seasons and for a consid-
cradle time; and therefore while the
Of varieties Is an exceed
ingly difficult matter, 1t is Of little or
no matter whether they are preserved
or not. In broad and general sense,
every soil, situation and climate pro-
duces a certain normal development
Of stalk and ear, and though cultiva-
ton and enriching the soil may in
crease the results, 1t does so simply
by practically changing soil and eli
mate both.