The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1907-07-25
THE EMPIRE OF CORN.
Originated In America Now Extends
Over the World.

Over the World.
The discovery Of America included
the finding of the worlds great
staple--corn How promiaeat fac
tor in commerce the new found grain
WAS to become was not dreamer OF
by Columbus when he first saw
''lnahiz" growing in the West Indies;
by Carter when he visited Hoche.
laga. now Montreal, and found the
settlement surrounded by green fields
Of "mondamin,p nor by the English
colonists who first cultivated It at
jamestown. James G. Blaine once
called corn the spinal column Of
American agriculture The immens
ity of the crop can MOI be easily APP
preciated, even when we learn that
the United States tills cornAelds ag.
gregating an area greater tnal chat
OF the German empire, and produces
annually S,OOO,oOO,O00 bushels. two
bushels for every man, woman aud
child on earth.
q v q
To understand what billions of
bushels means comparisons are nee
essary The six greatest corn states
are Indiana, Illinois. Iowa, Missouri
Kansas and Nebraska They consti-
tute the Corn Patch and produce
annually lp9 bushels for each of t1eI
10,0O0.000 inhabitants withiI their
boundaries. In wagons each con-
tanning forty bushels of shelled corn
the Corn Patch crop woul 1 make a
wagon train 154,S79 miles long. belt
ing the earth six times, with 4.000l
miles of wagons to spare. When
these six states grow eleven ears of
corn where they grew ten the year,
before the increase means S44.000.000l
in cash. Iowa alone mas produced a
crop in one year equal in value to thel
annual produce of gold, silver and
lead in the United States, or more
than the net earnings Of all the IA
tional banks.
q ER
The origin of Indian corn is lost in
tne miscs of antiquity Darwin found
an ear reposing in metal vessel
eighty-fve feet below the present sur
face of the soil in Peru. Others have
been found with mummies in the
tombs of the Incas. Indians in Mexi-
co had a goddess CinteoIl correspond
ing TO the Greek goddess Ceres, to
whom sun virgins sacrificed corn
cakes. North American Indians said
that corn was a direct gift from the
great spirit A young warrior fasting
in The wilderness prayed for a gift
from the Master Of Life for ais peo
pie A spirit in the form of bean
tiful young man CARRIED in gliste1ing
green descended in response to his
prayer, and they wrestled each
for three days.
Upon the fourth day the spirit pre-
dicted victory for the warrior, aad
had him strip him of his robes and i
bury him in the soft earth, returni1gl
from time to time to keep the weeds
from springing up This the warrior
did, and in time the plumes of the spir-
it's headdress shot from the earth,
and gradually stalks Of corn grew
ami matured. The Indians held a
great feast in celebration of the gift
and named the grain tmondamin,"
the spirits grain. The famous French
botaaist. Candolle, says that the corn
plant originated in America, and was
probably always grain. Nature did
not provide well for IT'S continued ex-
istence, since the ear falling to thel
ground retains the grains so tightly
that rodents are likely TO eat them
before they have al opportunity tol
sprout. His theory Is that some wan
dering savage discovered that thel
grain was edible and thus saved the
plant from determination centuries
before the discovery of America by
white men.
Twenty years ago when corn wasl
selling for 20 cents and many farm
ers on the plains found it more econ
omical TO burn it for fuel THAI to
market It. attempts were made to in
troduce it as human food in Europe.
Representative Hewitt of New York
offered a bin in congress appropriate
ing 100000 for -an exhibit at Paris,
but the bill failed and the funds for
the corn exhibit were small Never
theless Charles ]. Murphy. agricul.
tural commissioner in Nebraska, pre-
sided over the exhibit, demonstrating
the cooking of corn bread and dis
tributing pamphlets in all languages.
RR y
Before the international congress
OF millers in Paris, during the expo
Sition. Mr. Murphy delivered an ex-
address upon the delights
of corn pone. samp, johnny bread,