The Washington herald., 1907-06-27

prominent a factor In commerce the new
found grain was TO become was not
dreamed OF by Columbus when he first
saw "mahiz" growing in the West In
dies; by Cartier when he visited Hoch-
elaga. now Montreal, and found the set
Element surrounded by green fields Of
''mondamin," nor by the English colo
nists who first cultivated II at James
town. James C. Blaine once called corn
the spinal column Of American agricul-
ture." The immensely Of the crop cannot
be easily appreciated, even when we
learn that the United States tills corn
fields aggregating an area greater than
that Of the German Empire and produces
annually 3,o00000,0o0 bushels. two bushels
for each man, woman, and child on earth.
To understand What billions of bushels
means comparisons are necessary. The
six greatest corn States are Indiana, llli-
nois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas. and Ne
braska. They constitute the corn
patch" and produce annually 100 bushels
for each Of the 10, 600 900 inhabitants with
in their boundaries. In wagons each con-
tanning 40 bushels Of shelled corn, tho
corn patch" crop would make a wagon
train 154S7s miles long, betting the earth
six times, with 400 miles Of wagons 70
spare. When the six States grow eleven
ears OF corn where they grew ten the
year before, the increase means S44C00,009
in cash. Iowa alone has produced a crop
in one year equal il value 10 the annual
produce OF gold. silver. and lead in the
United States. or more than the net earn
ings OF all the national banks.
The origin Of Indian corn is lost IN
the mists Of antiquity. Darwin found
an ear TepOsing IN q metal vessel eighty
i've feet below the present surface Of
the soil in Peru. Others have been found
with mummies IN the tombs OF the IN
cas-. Indians in Mexico had a goddess.
Cnteotl, corresponding TO the Greek god
dess Ceres. to whom sun virgins sacri-
feed corn caTkes. North American IN
dams said that corn was q direct gift
from the Great Spirit A young warrior
fasting In the wilderness prayed for
gift from the Master Of Life for his peo-
pie. A spirit IN the form Of a beautiful
young man, CARRIED in gllstening green,
with flowing plumes, descended in re-
Spouse 10 his prayer. and they wrestled
each morning for three days.
Upon the fourth day the spirit pre-
dicted victory for the warrior and babe
him strip him OF his robes and bury him
Ia the soft earth, returning from time
10 time to keep the weeds from spring
ing up. This the warrior did, and in
time the plumes Of the spirits head
dress shot from the earth, and gradually
- b..
Indians held a great feast IN celebra-
ton OF the gift and named the grain
''AIondamin." the spirits grain The IA
nous French bOtanist, Candolle, says that
the corn plant originated in America. and
was probably always a grain. Nature
did not provide we'll for is continued
existence, since the ear falling 10 the
ground retains the grains so tightly that
rodents are likely TO eat them before
they have an opportunity TO sprout Eis
theory IS that some wandering savage
discovered that the grain was edible,
and thus saved the plant from extermi-
nation centuries before the discovery Of
America by white men.
Twenty years ago when corn was sell
ing for twenty-three cents, and many
farmers on the plains found il more
economical 70 burn 1t for fuel than TO
market il, attempts were made to intro
duce il as human food In Europe. Rep
resentatIve Hewitt, Of New York. offered
a bill in Congress appropriating $1,000
for an exhibit at Paris but the bill fall
ed, and the funds for the corn exhibit
were small Nevertheless. Charles ].
Murphy, agricultural commissioner in
Nebraska, presided over the exhibit, DEM
onstrating the cooking OF corubread and
distributing pamphlets IN all languages.
Before the interra tional congress OF
millers, IN Paris, during the exposition,
Mr. Murphy delivered an exhaustive ad-
dress upon the delights OF corn pone.
samp. Johnny cake. Boston brown bread,
gTidde cakes, corn sritters, corn w8fies
sUccOtash, corn pudding. and other Amer
lean delicacies unknown IN Europe Urg-
ing that the lack OF interest IN the
American food was due 70 ignorance, he
quoted q distinguished, English traveller,
who asserted that Americans made
palstable food from corn meal, called
''buckwheat cakes" He established corn
kitchens In various cities In Europe and
England, and sold corn bread of the
stove at nominal prices, partly at his own
expense, in an effort 70 demonstrate 70
Europeans that America offered a sub
stituts for the peasants bitter black
break more deliciously favored than the
white bread OF the rich.
He pointed out the rudy American
mush-and-milk-fed boy and the hardy
hog and hominy- eating American OF ma
turer years. as proof Of the healthfulness
OF corn products. He declared that II
Europe would learn 10 eat cornmeaI, mil
lions of the poor would be benefited and
that the new market for an American
product would rebuild our merchant ma
rine. He also predicted that when the
Panama canal was completed. America
would offer at the ports Of China and
India a substitute for rice at half the
price OF that staple. and Of twice its
food value. As a result Of Mr.. Murphy's
missionary work, cornbread IS still called
Murphy bread in some OF the Euro
pean capitals.
Twenty years ago We exported only
per cent Of our corn. We export only
10 per cent az present, but the magnid-
cent home demand has put the cereal.
On a commercial basis that insures
against the possibility Of its becoming
fuel again, except in the event of seri-
Gus panic. The bulk of the crop at pres
ent never leaves the counties in which il
Is grown The producers prefer 10 con-
vert it into meat cheese, butter, milk,
or other products. While America has
learned % assimilate her corn crop, Eu-
rope is learning TO grow corn IN large
quantities Austria-Hungary is now the
second corn-p producing country in the
world, and her product is increasing ev-
cry year, but the demand increases sol
much more rapidly than the production
that the annual imports increase materi-
ally each year Northern China, Italy,
and parts Of Africa are now using large
quantities OF corn for food Our heaviest