The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-27
EMPIRE OF CORN
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN

ducts. He declared that if Europe
would learn to eat corn meal millions
OF the poor would be benefited, and
that the new market for an American
product would rebuild our merchant
marine, He also predicted that when
the Panama canal was completed, Amer.
lea would offer at the ports Of China
and India substitute for rice at half
the price Of that staple and of twice
its food value. AS result of Mr.
Murphy 5 missionary work, corn bread
is still called Murphy bread in some
of the European capitals.
Twenty years ago we exported only
four per cent of our corn. We export
only ten per cent at present. but the
magnificent home demand has put the
cereal on commercial basis that in.
sures against the possibility of its be.
coming fuel again except in the event
of serious panic. The bulk of the
crop AT present never leaves the coun-
tries III which it is grown. The pro-
ducers prefer TO convert II into meat,
cheese, butter. milk or other products
While America has learned to assimi-
late her corn crop, Europe is learning
to grown corn i'll large quantities Aus.
tria- Hungary is now the second corn
producing country in the world and her
product is increasing every year. but
the demand increases so much more
rapidly than the production that the
annual imports increase materially each
Year. Northern China. Italy and parts
of Africa are now using large quapti-
ties of corn for food. Our heaviest ex.
ports go to England, Holland, Germany
and Denmark, and part of the corn
imported into these countries finds It's
way TO the tables of the inhabitants.
Corn grows from Siberia To the South
Sea Islands. although the greatest pro-
ducing section is the Corn Belt in the
United States the latitude of which is
measured by the northerQ and southern
boundaries of Illinois. Almost every
civilized country is now growing corn
and the acreage is being expanded in
most of them. but the United States
grows about 20 per cent OF the world S
crop. and as it viii be possible, in the
opinion of experts. TO expand the Amer
lean crop 5000, 5000 bushels on the
present acreage by improved methods
Of agriculture. there is no danger that
this country win lose her position as
the great corn grower, or cease 10 grow
the proportion Of the world s crop that
she now produces.
Every State and territory in the
.
millions of profits annually to trans.
portation companies. It has built thou.
sands of miles of railroads in the great
West: il built Chicago, and when the
FIRE almost destroyed that CITY, corn TO.
builded IL. Aside from its uses as food
and for distilling whisky. corn is now
the basis of 3 number of important
manufacturing industries. Not until
recently was il discovered that the
valuable oil. Under high pressure this
hitherto uuconsiderod part of the grain
now yields product that makes it
more valuable in proportion to its size
than thc rest Of the grain. The oil Is
used for salad dressings and other pur
poses. and is frequently sold under an
other name. Cornstalks pith has been
for some years manufactured into cellu
lose, used between the inner and outer
shells of batteships 10 prevent pierc
ing hv missiles, and TO prevent leaks by
swelling when the water rushed into \
/ hole made by 2 proiectile. Many kinds
/ Of starch are made from corn. running
/ from that which is served upon the ta-
! Bile TO that which is used in the laur-
l dry. These are only q few of the i'm
! portgnt corn products. there being
! more than 100 altogether.
The modern farmer using the latest
machinery. has reduced from four
| hours and thirty four minutes, 10 forty
one minutes, the human labor required
Z 10 produce bushel Of corn. He knows
10 the fraction Of cent the cost Of
production per hushcl. He looseus the
ground with gang pIow, plants the
grain by machinery. harvcsts II by ma
! chinery. shells il by steam. stores il in
great elevators ships il by train to
the lake ports and the sea, where II is
loaded upon steamships for export. II
is far cry from the methods Of the
Indian squaw. who gouged a hole in the
ground with a stick and dropped a
grain Of corn into il, 10 the methods of
the twentieth century farmer; but if
Candollo is right, the world is debtor
TO some wandering prehistoric Indian
for the preservation Of the grain that
is now one Of the creates, factors in
agriculture. and The first crop of the
I