The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1907-10-31
THE EMPIRE OF CORN.
By Frederick j. fiasIln. in the Pieayune.

Staple-cOrn. How prominent laSVOi
in commerce the new-found grain was
to become was not dreamed of by Co
lumbus when he FIRST saw 'mahiz
growing In the West Indies; by car
tier, when he visited Hochelaga, now
Montreal, and found the settlement
surrounded by green fields OF 'monaa-
min" nor by the English eOlonlsts
who first cultivated It at jamestown
James G. Blaine once called corn the
Spinal column of American agricul-
ture." The immensely Of the crop can
not be easily appreciated, even when
we learn that the United States tills
corn fields aggregating an area great
er than that Of the German Empire,
and produces annually 100000 BUSH
els, two bushels for each man, woman
and child on earth.
To understand what billions OF
bushels means comparisons are neces-
sary The six great corn states
| are Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri
Kansas and Nebraska. They constitute
the corn patch" and produce annually
100 bushels for each of the 1O,OOO,OO0
inhabitants within their boundaries
In wagons, each containing forty
bushels of shelled corn the corn
patch" crop would make a wagon train
1879 miles long, betting the earth six
times, with 1000 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, 900, 900 in cash. Iowa alone has
/ produced a crop in one year equal In
value to the annual product of gold,
silver and lead in the United States, or
more than the net earnings of all OF
| the national hanks.
! The origin of Indian corn Is los1
in the mists of antiquity. Darwin
/ found an ear reposing in a metal yes
sci eighty-fve feet below the present
surface of the soil in Peru. Others
have been found with mummies IN
| the tombs of the Ineas. Indians IN
Mexico had a goddess, Cinteotl, corre-
spending to the Greek Goddess Ceres
to whom the sun virgins sacrihced
! corn cakes. North American Indians
said that corn was direct gift from
the Great Spirit. A young warrior
fasting in the wilderness, prayed Tor
gift from the Master of Life for his
people. A spirit in the form OF
beautiful young man, CARRIED in glisten-
ing green, with flowing plumes, de-
scerded in response to his prayer, ami
they wrestled each morning for lhree
days.
Upon the fourth day the spirit pre-
dicted victory for the warrior ana
babe him strip him Of his robes and
bury him In the soft earth, returning
from time to time to keep the weeds
from spring up. This the warrior
did, and in time the plumes OF the
spirits head dress soht from the earth
and gradually stalks of corn grew ana
matured. The Indians held a great
feast in celebration of the gift and
named the grain "Mondamin," the spir-
it's grain. Nature did not provide
well for its continued existence, since
the ear falling to the ground retains
the grains so tightly that rodents are
likely to eat them before they have
an opportunity to sprout. His theory
is that some wandering savage dis
covered that the grain was-edible' ano
thus saved the plant from extermina'
ton centuries before the discovery OF
America by white men.
Twenty years ago when corn was
selling for 23 cents and many farm
ers on the plains found 1t more eco
nomical to burn 1t for fuel than tC
market it, attempts were made to in
troduce it as human food in Europe
Representative Hewitt, Of New York
offered bill in congress appropriatinl
500 900 for an exhibit at Paris, bu
the bin failed and funds for the corr
exhibit were small. Nevertheless
Charles ]. Murphy, Agriculture
Commissioner in Nebraska, preside'
over the exhibit, demonstrating tn
cooking of corn-bread and distributing
pamphlets in all languages.
Before the International Congress
NJ Millers In Paris during the ex
nosition. Mr.. Murphy delivered an ex
banstiye address upon the delights Q
, corn none, samp, johnny cake, Bosto
brown bread, griddle cakes, corn frii
ters. corn wafHes, succotash, corn pud
, ding and other American delicaeies Ut
known in Europe. Urging that n
/ lack of interest in the American foo
} was due to Ignorance, he quoted di
tinpuished traveller who asserted thi
j Americans made a palatable foe
from corn meal called "buckwhe'
, ,n no established corn kitchen