The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1916-10-13
UNCLE SANS BIG CROP
MOVEMENT FOR 4
Yield ofIndian Corn in Year
Worth Millions More
Than Wheat and
Cotton.

Corn is such a commonplace, ordi-
nary sort of thing and so uninterest-
ing to most of our city-bred people
that perhaps few of them realize just
how important is the role it plays in
he economic well-being Of the United
States. Some of the more striking
facts, as brought out in an article by
Edward Albes in the Bulletin Of the
Pan-American Union, Washington, D.
c., may surprise some of them.
For instance, the United States pro-
duces three-fourths of the entire corn
crop of the world. In 1915 the coun-
try's production amounted to 1884,
$4,000 bushels, having farm value
of over S1,755, 100000. When it is
stated, moreover, that if we add the
value of the rd-breaking wheat
crop of 1915, amounting to $930,302,-
900, to the value of the big cotton crop
of the same year, amounting to $685.
$4,000, the sum of the two still lacks
1928, 900 of reaching the value of
the humble corn crop some idea of the
Importance of the last named may be
had.
The history of the great cereal is
dealt with by the writer of the article
as well as it's manifold uses as a food
for man and beast, as beverage and
as an important factor in many kinds
of manufactured products. Relative
to it's origin, the writer introduces the
subject by brief disquisition anent
mans teeth which show that he is
both carnivorous and granivorous, and
continues:
Grub off the luminosity very
thin-veneer of civilization and place
him in the primitive environment of
his remote ancestors, man will prove
to be about the same animal. His
elemental nature has undergone but
little change. Doubtless, his brain
has been developed and his mental
machinery somewhat improved, but
his complicated physical structure is
but little altered.
"To keen that physical structure in
GOOD repair and to keen the entire
human machine in high state of eff
ficiencv. man has found that he needs
q variety of food. As a consequence
he has from time to time discovered
new thinrs that are good to eat,
things that contain the chemical ele-
ments in one form or another that he
needs to replace the tissues of nerve
muscle, bone and fat-the brain and
brawn-that are wasted during his
cav Of activity.
"Meat contains some Of these ele-
ments. as do nuts and fruits. but the
greatest foods, those upon which the
greatest number of men depend. ore
!. the grains; and the greatest of all the
GRAINS. the one most recently madI
known to what we are pleased to cal
the civilized world. is the one giver
to it by the Americas. Indian corn
better known beyond the confines Of
E the United States bv the name ri
a 'Mai2e.' the spelling of the word varv
ING somewhat in the several Ian
ouages into which it has been incor
porated.
. "That maize was unknown to Flu
:, rorean, Asiatic. and African neoplo
, before the discovery of America i
y now well established. Aside from
the testimony of Humboldt. Darwin
o and others, the matter Of the origil
y Of maize was finally settled bv tn
u ceIahrated Swiss botanist Alnhonse IL
= Condolle. who, after sitting all the ev
', iIenre. makes the statement in the re
:, vised 1889 edition Of his Origin o
\ Cultivated Plants that maize is o
- American origin and has only been in
=. troduced into the Old World since tn
!, discovery of the New