The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-02-28
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FOR a CoRN-FED WORLD.

corn?
/ This momentous question has been
raised again by the gift of a million
bushels of corn which American farm
ers are sending to starving Europeans
land Chinese.
/ You must know that in practically
mo country outside of the two Ameri-
tcas has maize, or Indian corn,- been
used to any extent as human food. 1t
mas been regarded as food for live
Istock only. The un-American world
has simply never learned to eat corn.
But now large sections of that world
lare starving. This would seem to be
a most unusual opportunity to teach
Europe and Asia to eat corn to the
advantage of all parties concerned.
Europe would have a new food, and
lAmerica would have a new export
market for it's growing corn crop. :.
Last season this country produced
1889, $4,000 bushels of corn, consid-
Ierably more than the average for the
| past five years-2,760,0 100000. But
1.-THE big crop has not brought prosperity
Ito the mid-western farmers instead,
corn prices have fallen to less than
half what they were last year, and
Imany farmers have harvested their
corn at q loss.
| In view of these facts. a young Illi-
fnois farmer suggested the/ gift corn
Iproject, which has grown to such pro
portions, ! The offer was made to the
leemmittees for relief in China and the
Near East. They considered the diff
tculties of transportation and decided to
TRY to overcome them by obtaining do
nations of money and help. some
money has already been collected, and
ltrainmen 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 rallroao
centers and the first cargo has been
shipped to Constantinople. An at
tempt 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 much more COM
plicated business than shipping wheat.
| There is about IL per cent water IN
i therefore apt to cause mold in the
| course of lengthy transportation.
| Damage due to moisture has frequent
, ly 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 a much
| longer time. This precaution is to be
taken before the gift corn is shipped
Eabroad in the form of meal gritS and
hominy. Preparing the corn will
mean some delay, but special machin-
! cry which would not be generally
/ available abroad is needed. 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 commit
tees no difficulty in getting the peo-
pie to eat the corn is anticipated. In
China where thousands of people
| have been trying to live on bark and
MOSES, there will be no caviling over
the American corn being pigs food.
And the committees believe that the
grain will be equally welcome in Ar
menia and Hungary. Corn was used
to some extent in Austria during the
war. Europe has never liked it very
much, however, and generally pre-
ferred rye when wheat was not to be
had.
Americans have felt that this dis
like was due mainly to ignorance
| not many Europeans know much
about corn, and those who have tasted
it more often than not We're prejudiced
by bad cooking.
There is a story along this line about
ECarlyle and Emerson. Emerson wrote
to his friend, Carlyle, recommending
corn as a food and saying that he had
sent a package so that the Carlyle
family might try it. Carlyle wrote
back politely to thank Mr.. Emerson,
but to say that after several expert
ments they really did not find the
flavor of corn meal agreeable. The
correspondence stopped here until
Mrs. Emerson could copy off some of
her best recipes. Then the Carlyles
were asked to try again. They did,
and wrote back enthusiastically to
-r-T,1 Of
the American delicacy.
Carlyle Ate Corn.
This incident. from the letters of
grounds on which Americans base
their conviction that Europe would
like corn if it could ever be persuaded
to give it a fair trial. The department
of agriculture once sent demonstrators
and lecturers over to Europe to en-
tighten the different countries as to
the possibilities of Indian corn.
Neither eloquence, nor samples of
corn disguised in griddle cakes, muf-
4 fins, gingerbread, or corn pone aroused
any enthusiasm. Mostly, those pres
ent did not even come forward to get
the samples.
Because of such experiences, when
the food shortage began to .afflict Eu-
rope, the United States did not send
corn to the rescue. You may remem-
Der that Herbert Hoover urged us to
eat more corn and save wheat, because
Europe could not very we'll be taught
to eat a new kind of food in SO critical
a period.
Now the situation is different, and
Hoover accepted the offered corn
gladly. >About 100000 bushels it is
announced will be fed to children of
the famine areas, and probably most
of 1T will be prepared by the relief or
sanizations and served to the children
at feeding centers.
4 What goes to adults may or nay not
be cooked before distribution. Where
it is not prepared for eating directions
Will doubtless be given to insure suf-
; ficient cooking.
| With adequate cooking, the nutritive
value of corn is about the same as that
of wheat. Corn contains a large
amount of sugar and starch which
supply the body with heat and energy.