The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1904-09-16
HISTORICAL NOTE ABOUT
CORN.

In the United States at the present
time the word corn has a distinct
meaning, but in other countries it is
far otherwise-Thus in Scotland "corn'
often means otas; in England. wheat
and in Northern Europe, rye. If We
go further back into the centuries it
is seen that the word "corn" was a
very general term for grain. Pro-
fessor Sargent, in his interesting little
book-"Corn Plants''-has written:
"It is said that Ruth, coming to
Bethlehem lin the beginning of the
barley harvest asked to go into the
field and CLEAN ears of corn.' But it
was lin the time of the wheat harvest
that Sampson burned the standing
corn The humane statute of Moses
Thou shalt not muzzle the OK when
be treadeth out the corn-undoubt.
edly applies to all the grain plants
harvested by the Isralites."
Corn, in the general meaning of the
term, as a hard, horny (corneoue)
grain, was know to civilized man of
the Eastern Hemisphere from prehis-
toric time. But in the specific sense
in which we use the word it was con-
fined to the Western Hemisphere un-
til after the discovery OF this
country by Columbus, and was doubt
less grown by the inhabitants of the
Americans from very ancient date.
Professor Plumb writes that mounds
that were erected prior to the time of
the American Indian, of which he has
no tradition, that have been explored
in recent years have contained corn
cobs and charred kernels. In the
caves occupied by the early Cave
Dwellers in the Southwestern States
ears of corn have been frequently dis
covered. In South America Darwin
found on the coast Of Peru heads of
maize. together with eighteen species
Of recent seashells imbedded in beach
which had been upraised at least
eighty-five feet above the level of the
sea- Ears of Indian corn are occasion.
ally found in vessels IN ancient In
dian tombs or mounds in Chile, Peru
and Central America"
The early explorers of thir country
found the Indians cultivating corn
from Canada to Florida. They taught
the Puritans how to plant and raise it.
In short, corn was a leading crop
among the natives of this continent
prior to the fifteenth century. The
original home of the maize plant may
be satisfactory inferred.
The Indians of Mexico have grown
the soft corn for centuries, and this is
of the race of grain that is found in
the ancient mounds and does not
correspond with the hard kinds raised
further north. DR.. Harshberger
states that call tie plants closely re-
lated to maize are Mexican. It is an
accepted evolutionary principle that
several species of the same genus or
genera of the same tribe. though dis
persed to the most distant quarters of
the globe, must originally have pro-
ceeded from the same source, as they
are descended from the same progeni-
tors. It is also obvious that the in
dividuals of the same species, though
now in distant regions, must have
proceeded from one spot, where their
parents were first produced, for it is in
credible that individuals identically the
same should have been produced from
parents specifically distinct. Apply
ing these principles to maize, we reach
the conclusion that maize was original.
ly Mexican The evidence to the
present date (lS93) places the original
home of our American cereal maize in
Central Mexico"
The same authority, in reply to a
question concerning the origin ofsweet
corn, writes: "The first sweet corn
in American cultivation was an eight
rowed variety, termed papoon, with a
red cob, introduced to the region abou
Mass; from the Indians of
the Susquehanna in l779." This is
a date not far from the id-Revolu-
ton days.
Health" gives the following as
simple, harmless cure for ear-ache:
Make a small funnel Of stiff paper
satnrate q hall Ot COTTON size of q