The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-09-02
ORIGIN OF CORN.
Experiments Have Developed 1t Back
to the Condition of Grass.

A few years ago, says an Atchison,
| Kan, letter to the st. Louis Globe
Democrat, private experimenters
succeeded in developing corn back
ward, until all the ears were on the
| top Of the stalk and growing so small
that the stalks could carry them in
| that position. Selecting the smallest
kernels Of the smallest ears, the corn
gradually was led backward through
| its history until it became not much
larger than good-sized head Of timo-
thy or orchard grass.
1t is thought the plant was brought
| from the south by the migrating
tribes, finally being adopted by the
| Indians of Florida, and by them and
by other Indians was developed
| through long periods of years.. until it
was becoming the one staple article
Of food all over the territory now oc-
cupied by the United States.
When the English and French en-
tered their great struggle for the pos
! session of what is now America. i'm
mense cornfields were found as far
| north as New York and Massachu-
setts. Massasoit fed his white
| friends with corn and at a later date
| sweet corn was found, grown by the
Indians in Massachusetts. When Sui
livan was sent against the Iroquois
during our revolution he DESTROYED
large acreages Of corn. De Soto reports
| cornfields in southern Florida, where
| he is said to have marched through
growing corn and beans clear across
| the State to Tallahassee" The French
| men who settled in the st. Johns river
valley were fed with corn and taught
how to cook it. Capt. Smith tells Of
five varieties of bread that were made
| from corn by the Indians of Virgin
| ia The pioneer colonists soon learn
| ed how to prepare this new grain for
food, and without it they could never
had made their passage westward
| through the wilderness. The In
dians were more advanced in agri-
| culture than is generally supposed.
The Industrious intelligent Indians
| probably raised good crops of corn;
the loafers raised very small crops.
Among the earliest men there were
| a few industrious ones and great
| numbers of shiftles sones. The pro-
portion of Shiftless men constantly is
being lowered since it is becoming
| more certain every day that shiftless-
| ness does not pay in any walk of life;
that the man who practices indus
try and good conduct, and learns as
| much as possible, lives an easier and
more comfortable life than the idler.
a few years ago the yield of corn
| to the acre in South Carolina was
eight bushels to the acre; last year
| this average had increased to eight
cen bushels.
Inc average Tor the country is
twcnty-siX bushels. Last year Jerry
Moore a l6-year-old South Carolina
boy, raised 22S bushels Of corn on a
single acre. But in order TO do il
he spent $50 on fertilizers and haul
ed 700 loads Of rich earth on his
prize acre. But the crop paid him a
net proft of $3.50 This record has
never been equaled. although this
year the boy is trying to surpass 1t.
Jerry Moore. because of his accom-
plishmcnt, has become hero
throughout the country. At Column
bus, Ohio. banquet was given ia
his honor, but when he was called on
TO tell how he did it, he hid his face
in his arm in boyish confusion.