The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-08-23
TIE ORIGIN OF CORN..
A STUDY in BOTANY


When colpmbus reaebed islanl
on that fstefla day Of i4gz BE toans
Tie poor ase enLsIsasing an
thar was new b tlls sIanlards I1stef
when ines ltler
ing rom TIE stce material hict
they used Ter focd spaniards tool
q euhoas interest ii their actions
This plant WHICH ne natives calles
Mahiz. vas Wholly unknown IN FEu
rope OF any otheF but Of the oil
world Afseraarls TIE spanlard,
themsslFe scuitigated this plant foI
focl calling maize by ghich name
It las since heed known in the botan
ical world. "a his small way begaI
what IS now re most important aut
most raluable crop IN the civilized
world. Looked fromthe standpoint
oi the bonsaniss 4 strange fact Is dis
closed II considering the habits al
well as he habitat d this celebrated
cereab indigenous to the two
Americana but IL the time Of the con
dpest IND mad little progress toward
me Wonderfpl eyelopment 4 was sub
seduenil attain. The Indian tribes
hi Fariops sections. from the canadas
10 RI oaia were found to be &C
al Win its merits and depended
mon il one d their chief vegetable
faeds They cultivated Il in little
afets planting It in hole in the
goind HiSde With a stick and from ii
siiii.ts ain dishes atterward famous
-hominyT and "hoe
sils.l l6i5s
Yha especially noticeable is the
fact that no other grain or vegetable
reh ,iiticulty in reproducing It
lnaidea as maize. Left to itself
diticalt 10 see how 1t could keep
aiiye The grain being encased in a
tiic and close fitting shuck, and grow
"a ely 70 tie cob, can not produce
niles il falling 1t becomes shattered
ana eoY cred Birds and other animals
might help some in this process. but
net enoagh 70 greatly extend the area
ot its prodactiyity. The aid of man
+ not only to plant but to cuI'
tigate ibe corn and It Is questionable
whether &c left ungathered, the whole
q the fields I'M our mighty belt. would
spontaneo usly bring forth next sea.
son single ear. Fortunately, the saw
ages il d limited way assisted this
Wonderful plant 3sufacieitlys to keep II
alife ia many places until the white
man came With his hoe and pillow to
a tie work On an extensive scale. Ii
Il Just possible that but for the In
dians this valuable grain might have
been lost entirely to man. Its only
chance OF survival originally would be
il he tropics, where the first grains
stliat fell ana became covered would es.
cape freezing and thus sprout in the
Ier1rnins season for its propagation.
far cry from the little patch.
on Gaannahani Island to the corn.
v - r ~ T.
felas now smiling over the United
ssate preparatory to aproduction OF
8Qec 100000 bushels this fall. These
fields oechpy an area greater in extent
Than lie German Empire. Though eED
eSg state and Territory in the Union
tod1ces Corn, the principal crop
eoinss from Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Mis-,
sotIri Kansas and Nebraska, which
cciistitute the far-famous corn belt u
Is estimated that II all the corn pro.
ed in one year in these six States
shelled and loaded in wagons,
train would extend nearly $4,000
miles, betting the earth six times witt
5000 miles Of wagons to spare. Iowa
alone has produced crop equal in
value 70 the annual output of gold
silver and lead in this whole country.
oi more than the net earnings Of all
the national banks. Our farmers may
understand what Is meant by improv'
corn culture, when It is understood
hat an increase of one ear in every
I'm IN the five principal corn States
gouid mean an addition Of $44,O0O,OOO
year to their wealth Though the
origin Of corn is very ancient, its use
on q large scale is very modern. Oar
vim, the great naturalist, while travel
Ing IN Peru, found an ear reposing in q
metal vessel eight-flve feet below the
present surface Of the soil. Others
lave bn found with mummis in the
t6mhs Of the Incas. The natives o.
IeltlcoS long before the conquest, wor
shipped a goddess corresponding t.
be Greek Ceres, and the method wa.
tor sun virgins to sacrifice corn cakes
honor. The North American In
ians Believed that corn was direct
from the Great Spirit. This in
plFing belief was embodied in a poeti
eaI legend. to the effect that a young