The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-02-28

Europe and Asia be taught to eat
corn?
This momentous question has
been raised again by the gift of
million bushels Of corn which
American farmers are sending to
starving Europeans and Chinese.
You must know that in practic-
ally no country outside Of the two
Americas has maize, or Indian
corn, been used to any extent as
human food. 1t has been regarded
as food for livestock only. The
unAmerican world has simply
never learned to eat corn. But
now large sections Of that world
are starving. This would seem to
be most unusual opportunity to
teach Europe and Asia to eat corn
to the advantage Of all parties con-
cerned. Europe would have q new
food, and America would have a
new export market for its growing
corn crop.
Last season this country pro-
duced 3,232 1857 900 bushels of corn,
considerably more than the average
for the past five years-2.760,0 00.-
900. But the big crop has not
brought prosperity to the mid
western farmers. Instead, corn
prices have fallen to less than half
what they were last year, and many
farmers have harvested their corn
at a loss.
In view Of these facts, a young
Illinois farmer suggested the gift
corn project, which has grown to
such proportions. The offer was
made to the committees for relief
in China and the near east. They
considered the difficulties of trans
portaion and decided to try to over
come them by obtaining donations
of money and help. Some money
has already been collected, and
trainmen have offered their services
free in carrying the grain across
country.
With this much of the ways and
means problem worked out the
corn is beginning to be collected
at, railroad centers and the first
cargo has been shipped to Con-
stantinople. An attempt is to be
made to keep track Of individual
donations, SO that a report can be
rendered to the giver, showing
when and by whom the corn was
used.
Shipping Troubles.
Shipping corn is a much more
complicated business than ship
ping wheat. There is about IL per
cent water in corn, and the mois-
ture in the grain is therefore apt to
cause mold in the course of
lengthy transportation. Damage
due to moisture has frequently
been a cause of complaint in the
comparatively small shipments of
corn which We have sent to Europe.
Water can, however, be baked
out of the corn by a kiln drying
process, after which it will keep
for much longer time. This pre-
caution is to be taken before the
gift corn is shipped abroad in the
form of meal, grits and hominy.
Preparing the corn will mean some
delay, but special machinery
which would not be generally avail
able abroad is needed. A first
shipment is expected to reach
China in April, and it will then be
ready for immediate consumption
AS distribution of the corn is to
be directly in the hands of relief
committees no difficulty in getting
the people to eat the corn is an
ticipated. In China where thou
sands of people have been trying
to live on bark and MOSES, there
will be no caviling over the Ameri.
can corn being pigs food. And
the committees believe that the
grain will be equally welcome in
Armenia and Hungary, Corn was
used to some extent in Austria
during the war. Europe has never
liked it very much, however, and