Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-02-22
CORN BELT DOUBLED
Discovery Of Indian Secret Makes
Corn-Ralsing Profitable IN North
-American Museum's Research
justified.
CFrom the New York Evening POST

From the New York Dvening Post)
In an interview concerning the research
work under his direction, Dr. Clark Wiss-
Ter, Of the department Of anthropology OF
the American Museum of Natural His
tory. gave out several important facts
which again forcibly Indicate that tho in
huence Of the museum through the work
which 1t Ia undertaking has become of
national importance.
In considering the requirements of his
department to carry on the field work and
explorations for the ensuing year, DR..
Wissler informed the officials of the mu-
scum that during the past 10 years $76,970
had been expended in field work alone.
and upon being interrogatcd whether the
expenditure Of 80 large a sum had been
worth while. he replied as follows:
Tn part answer to these questions. 1
would call your attention to two great
movements In this country that have re-
ceived their impetus through the mu-
seum's field researches in anthropology.
and would cite as the first instance that
Of the discovery Of a new Indian corn.
One of our field men. Dr.. Gilbert L..
Wilson. was delegated to collect mate
rial and study the agriculture Of the
Mandan Indians, who lived far up in the
Dakotas. They had established their
villages in the locality long before Co
lumbus was born, and one of their agri-
cultural pursuits was the raising Of
maize. In all Of the great States of the
Dakotas. Montana and Wyoming, the
farmers Of today were unable to raise
corn because Of the shortncss Of the seA-
sons. but Investigations proved that the
Mandans did successfully raise It. and
- ne rv(.,~
Ascertain how the Indians did it. He
found that there were a few old women
who still mad the precious seed and
knew how to raise the corn. Had the in
vestigation been longer delayed. in a few
years these old women would have been
dead and the secret lost. Through the
Museums publications tho news was
spread. professional agriculturists became
busy. and the name Of the American
Museum has been ringing throughout the
great Northwest.
The Dakota Farmer. the greatest farm
ing paper of this country. states in a
recent issue OF it's publication that We
have doubled the corn belt and will add
billions upon billions Of dollars to the
national wealth." Think of 1t, billions
upon billions that would have been lost
to the nation II we had not spent a
paltry $76,s70 for field work of which sum
less than 5000 went into this one project
INDIAN TEXTILE ART.
The next great movement is the in
terest which the museum authorities have
been able to arouse in the American
manufacturer of textiles-that from its
great collections it has been possible to
institute the new American decorative
art. What started this great movement
The answer is the work Of a member of
our research stan, M. D. c. Crawford.
a textile expert. who has given his time
and services gratuhously. But the $76.EO
expended in field collecting made his
work possible. Every one of our field
men before starting on his expedition has
been instructed to gather authentic type
designs from our fast vanishing Indian
tribes. On the contrary other museums
did not so instruct their collectors but
sent them after what they called rare
things The result In that nowhere other
than in the American Museum is it pos
sible to find a workable collection in
native art. You ask why workable and
the answer is because our men studied
the art In the field. they made contribu-
tons to science. and the collections stand
for something real. 1t was this real work
that rescued the right things from OBJ
livion.
who can estimate the capital that the
great textile and other industries will
invest in this movement? Inquire of the
leaders OF these industries where the
| thing started and their answer is in the
American Museum Of Natural History
These are the two most striking results
Of our recent research work. There are
others, but we feel that these two i'm
portant finds are profitable beyond es-
tmation in dollars because they affect
and reach the lives and wcll-being OF
our people and the nation at large"