Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1907-09-19
THE EMPIRE OF CORN.
By Frederick J. Haskin, in the Picayune.

The discovery of America included
the finding of the worlds greatest
staple-corn. How prominent a factor
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 'monda-
min;" nor by the English colonlsts
who first cultivated it at Jamestown.
James G. Blaine once called corn the
spinal column of American agricul-
ture." The immensity of the crop can
not be easily appreciated, even When
We learn that the United States tiils
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
lUO bushels for each OF the 10000, ,00o
inhabitants within their boundaries.
IN wagons, each containing forty
bushels of shelled corn the corn
palch crop would make a wagon train
1879 miles long, betting the earth six
umes, with 1000 miles Of wagons to
spare When these six states grow
eleVen ears Of corn where they grew
.en the year before, the increase means
s44'OVV,000 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 tie net earnings Of all OF
the national banks.
Inc origin of Indian corn is los.
~ tne mlSts of antiquity. Darwin
lound an ear reposing in metal YES
sel elshty-tlye feet below the present
su' iace OF the soil in Peru. Others
nave Deen found with mummies in
,4e tombs of the Incas.. Indians in
aa aleAico 7, mad goddess, Cinteotl, corre-
.p0iulng to the Greek Goddess Ceres,
" "nom the sun virgins sacrificed
s0.n cakes. North American Indians
lo thO .nal corn was direct gift from
fas.. M ofeat s1&it. A young warrior
iasuns ";s4 IN the%ilderness, prayed for a
snl s from the Master OF Life for his
hoe poople: A spirit in the form of a
a0'liui ira young man, garbed in glisten-
sieeh, with flowing plumes, de-
.senueo the- IN response to his prayer, anil
da dney "restled each morning for three
distp0 upon the fourth day the spirit pre-
Saa (.eu victory for the warrior and
bur,, =. l.ni strip him of his robes and
fro. s nim in the soft earth. returning
frona n 'lme to time to keep the weeds
did -, sptlng up This the warrior
snr,+'A anu IN time the plumes of the
and asoa neaa dress soht from the earth
matns aauually stalks of corn grew and
fesst eu' The Indians held a great
pamsa ~ ~ celebration of the gift and
irs 'ae grain "Mondamin." the spir-
va1, srala. gran Nature did not provide
tho oa .oi i's continued existence. since
the sra;ns a ,alilng to the ground retains
likelv Jams -. SO tightly that rodents are
an onnoo+ cat them before they have
is tha. tHhpp.ortunity to sprout. His theory
coveras ras some wandering savage dis.
tbns s'ea sa that the grain was edible and
ton ooa, 'eu the plant from extermina-
Anerica " lies before the discovery of
TwaUa wa oy white men.
sellinn years ago when corn was
ers rs m lor % cents and MANY farn,
nonica, il me le plains found It more eco
narla4 lsal ! to burn it for fuel than ' to
troduca :, attempts were made to in
Renr"e II as human food in E,,rona
Offered 1Vl,atlve 4 s.,l Hewitt, of New York
sloo oo0oN : fo olll IN congress appropriatine
the hin .or an exhibit at Paris hut
exhibit ianed a and funds for the corn
connisss,oJJ cass j. Murphy, usaeeneuss5 Agricultura1
Over the asf as',, IN Nebraska presided
uiolt, demonstrating tho