Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-02
ORIGIN OF INDIAN CORN
Proof of the Claim that Maize Belongs Ex-
clusively to This Country,
GROWN BY THE NcAs CENTURIES AGO
Appearance of the Eirst-DiScovercd
kcrncis--Nnrictics Due to Cui-
tiNntion where wild
Corn Is Found.

| Appearance of the Eirst-DiScoVcrcd
ACCOMPLISHMENTS Due to Cui-
tiNnt,on where wild
Corn Is Found.
Many years ago researches were made to
establish the fact that maize belonged ex-
clusiyely to this country and was OF Auorl-
can origin, 1t was believed in 1887 that
the plant in It's wild state was extinct ana
thus one of the strongest arguments to
prove 1t indigenous was lost, says Robert T..
Harris In Garden and Forest No evidence
could be found in Europe, Asia or Africa
to show that the plant existed prior TO tho
voyages Of Columbus In 1i92 or Pi2arro in
1924 Both Of these nayigators saw 1t grow
ing and we have now reason TO believe
that the Indians and lncas made use Of the
grain many years before these visitors ar
rived We have corn that has been pre-
served for several hundred years and 1t may
have been grown over 1000 years ago. In
dry state this grain appears 10 be In
destructible and | have in my possession
some Peruvian corn that Is certainly several
hundred years old. II is dry and friable 10
of red color and yields white meal.
1t was buried with so-called mummy prior
to the year 1855 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 somewhat imbricatcd. 1t was evidently
far removed from the wild stock
Primitive corn, or Wild corn which has
been found in several different regions of
this continent naturally reproducing Itself,
has a character OF growth that tlts 1t for
long preservation In mild climate, although
If planted and cultivated for a few years all
the characteristics of wldness gradually dis
appear. The coha of wild maize are thin and
ar1 pnl .ih ,f mad
elevations, each having a wire-like pedlcel
growing from the top, attached to glume
incloSing small pointed grain, or Nat
grain, smaller than any popcorn. These
kernel husks overlap each other toward the
point of the ear, like the shingles on the
roof of house. The imbrications are the
largest and longest at the butt of the ear
and gradually become less pronounced as
they advance in distinct rows to the point.
VARIETIES SECURED by CULTIVATION.
Originally there may have been but one
variety of corn and 1t was attached to
mild climate. but, judging from analogy and
the effects of cultivation we are of the
opinion that there were subvarleties and
in them the grains were of different color
and the glumes striped. The lncas and In
dians had different varieties of corn, and
grew ears of several colors. some uniform
and others mixed, but their cobs were thin
and sometimes the ears quite short. Six
varieties of the wild corn found growing in
unfrequented localities have been described,
five Of which have seen, and several OF
which have been grown. All have pedicels
attached to the glumes, and the glumes
The word corn, in many languages, simply
meaus grain. Indian corn is Indian grain
distmctively, as the Indians had no other.
They had beans, squashes. pumpkins,
gourds and melons, but wheat, rye, oats
and barley belonged to the old world, and
had to be imported. Tie Indians grew corn
over wide range OF country and wherever
the climate was adapted to 1t.
Cultivation has done wonders with this
grain, both Ia its form and color, so that
now we have, perhaps, 100 varieties The
plant varies from a foot and half to
fifteen feet in height, and ears from two
inches to sixteen inches in length. We find
in modern Indian growths ears that are of
uniform gamboge-yellow, white, black, blue
and red, besides mixed colOrs. We havs
also several varieties of popcorn, sugar corn
and field corn. Most OF the corn grown by
Indians is in small rounded grains, except
that of the cllif dwellers, who appear to
have been in measure an agricultural
people Their cobs were thin and their
grain in rows but the individual grains
were larger and square ended. Indented
corn seems also to have been known among
them.
UTILIZED FOR STIMULATING DRINK.
Every people must have drink and II
the process OF distllaton Is unknown they
resort to fermentation. Primitive Ameri-
gous to beer, by fermentation of the ear
in it's green state or after IT had dried. This
was intoxicating to a certain extent, but,
fortunately, much less so than the modern
distillate from the same grain. The drink
Ing mugs of the cliff dwellers bear testimony
to their having had this habit Great i'm
proyements have been made by the white
race in growing this cereal, and one of the
chief of these Is i'm the diameter of the
cob, which has been made to hold as high
al twenty-four rows.
From four TO six ears have been grown on
one stalk, and ears produced of very remark
able length. Sugar corn was introduced in
1873, and now 1t and popcorn have entered
into the race and larger varieties are being
produced. The commercial variety known
as turkey corn" is not maize, and does
not bear its grain on an ear, but on the top
in the tassel, as the broom corn does. Turkey
corn is about eight feet high, and bears
small. rounded grain. which is either
white or plnkish. In the east it is known
by the name OF dura. The Turks and
Egyptians grow Indian corn ii is true but 1t
was originally obtained from America. Tur-
key corn and maize have often been con-
founded by botanical writer's. "Ble dc
Turquie' is a distinctive grain.
Indian corn in its wild state has been
found in Arizona, southern Texas, the val
ley OF Mexico, and Central America. Rocky
mountain corn / have known a long period
Of time; it has very small ears. Corn has
been found growing wild in the Valley OF
Mexico, and one OF the professors in the
University of Mexico has been experiment.
ing with 1t and has the engraving of
plant which grew about five feet high Wild
corn also has been grown at the Landreths'
near Bristol. to whom 1t was sent from
Arizona. The last / have seen was found
by DR.. Williams of Houston, Tex, when on
hunting expedition in the southern part
of that state. 1t Is a white flint of fair
size, and fifteen stalks have only produced
four which two of the stalks
The plant Is a very vigorous grower but 1t
Is not productive, and eight stalks grown in
Texas did not produce a single ear.