The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-11-27
Milwaukee Man Raises
Giant Stalk from Grain
in Prehistoric Mound
IMMENSE YIELDS IN
NORTH DAKOTA FIELD
Production at the Rate of 1874 Bushels
an Acre-Largest Stalk Was 1917
Feet Tall = There Were Sixty eight
Ears on Nine Stalks.

This is going to be the most interest
ing, the most extraordinary and, may
hap, the trucst story concerning corn
stalk that any reader Of the Sentinel,
or for that matter, any other reader,
has ever read, says the Milwaukee
Sentinel
For this cornstalk antcdates Ameri
can history. 1t even would rear its
yelIowcd head to prove that America,
that tie United StotesIis as old As
the Pyramids OF Egypt themselves.
And, hes. Of AL, this plant is sup
posed to have been produced from a
seed 500 years old, and, mind you, is
growing in Milwaukee, up on the east
side, where it rightfully belongs b.
diut Of its aristocratic heritage
1t stands there, or rather, towers
above everything else in the flower
garden of William \. Akin, of No. 1913
Summit avenue. Proudly its crest
waves on high. for it has prospercd in
its congenial environment. There IS
no other liant like it anywhere in Wis
cousin 1t measures more than ten feet
in height and has maturing upon its
stalks eeven ears of princclv corn.
Mr.. Akin is not a gentleman farmer,
but he loves flowers and all growing
things, as his spacious and artistically
decorated lawn indicates He believes
that corngtalk is likely to revolution
ize farming over all the nation and Is
pregnant with invaluable information
| to scientists and archaeologists the
world over. lie is convinced that
| through the eornstalk in his yard the
world viii know more about America
and tae first people who inhabited it
than is recorded in his. ory. He be-
1ieNeS- it wal. Aat-.a-sile. all tlear,I-.-.a.s
to .thc life If seed of corn and Will
opfn fields Of researches undreamcd Of.
Mr.. Akin traces the life Of the corn
stalk growfn- in his yard to a seed
$500 vearaFold he has data TO verify
his attcstatien; III fact, he says he has
proof t. show that the plant is the
direct prodhct Of a seed that was
buried by people who lived at the TINT
Of Christ
- came into possession Of the seed
from 2 TREND Of mine, explained Mr.
Akin Il Il Sentinel reporter, who visited
him i'm hi~ suushiny home. Let M,
begin 1t the beginning and tell yot
what / know about the history of tht
seed planted in my flower garden. L
viii sound like 4 dream, but | bclrv,
what tell YOU il true and also bo
lieye that ii the proper persons TAKE
time 70 investigate the story the wOrl'
viii lac enriched with new knowledge. :
Mr.. Akin 5 eyes lit up with the fire
of an enthusiast aS he began to mar
rate his story.
"pr. +. :. Curry, the noted archaeol
ogist who for twenty five years was
missionary to the Chippewa and Oiib
way tribes OF Lake Superior Indiun>
discovered ON one Of his explorations
strange mound formation on which
tree was growing. This was near tn
little town Of Marked Tree. in Arku
saS.
He cut down the tree and dug int
the mound He easily found that tn
tree was 600 years old. The mound il
opened proved to lie prehistori
grave The roots OF the tree had woun
themselves around the mound, and frer
the character of the other vegetatio
around he stated that It was his fir
conviction that the mound was place
there l,S90 years ago. In this moan
he found ossifed bones, stone weapon
and implements OF one kind and al
other, the most extraordinary Of whie
was some tempered copper from whic
I pr. Curry had a razor made
: Dr. Curry shaved with that razo
; Of tempered copper. This i} no ha
, lucinatIou; it j. 4 fact. for lie was see
. shaving with IT,
Among other things i'll the noun
was Theoretically sealed stone ia
! containing eleven ears of corn Of til
? prehistoric Red Den variety. The 40
I Of this corn was further verified b
Y the cement that wa, used to seal til
s lid of the receptacle. This cement W;
Of the flint character, relating and a
r sociating it with the kind used in sea
: ing the mummy eases III the Pframit
Of Egypt
Il got one Of the seeds of corn, an
u more cut OF curiosity than anythin
else, the iced was planted III the var
1 ! wanted to SIC if the story could po
S sibly be true. ! didn't know no,
Il whore or when to plant the seed. That
# why you sec it growing out there ne,
: to some bushes. The seed was plantt
. after the middle of June. Ordinaril
: you know, corn should be planted son
! time in Ma And even though
i WASH t planted properly, even thong
/ it didn t Get the sunlight all day, TIL
a seed has grown into that ten foot plan
e at was awcsome to see it gro,
; Some days it just seemed to jump q
e Of the ground As it kept on gro,
a ing the story that was told me Of Il
: seed became more and more plausibl
:. Then | decided to investigate
le Il found that an experiment W
e conducted in North Dakota and tn
the yield from the seed of the prehi