The times-news., 1938-07-08
HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Ninth Article in Series Leading up to Henderson
Countys Centennial Celebration, July 3l-Aug. 3
By SADIE S. PATTON
CORN FOR THE PIONEERS

settlement of the early coloniSts
without corn. and to most of us
1T Is the outstanding symbol OF
American food crops. There seems
no doubt that it is a plant Of dis
tinctly tropical origin and was cul,
tivated in Mexico nearly three
thousand years ago. The tortilla
very similar to the hoe cake, and
the tamale, made of Indian corn
crushed in the wooden mortar and
steamed in it's wrappingS of
shucks, are regional dishes of the
MeXlCanS whose present day pop
ularity has extended to many 9th
er sections.
Corn was not known to the Eu-
rOpean people until Columbus car
ried it back from America with
him. It's ease Of cultivation and
adaptation to ruidmentary modes
of preparation made its growth
and use possible to primitive pco-
pie. and every evidence leads us
to believe that il was the staple
food crop with all tribes of In
dianS. That il had become a uni
vCrsaily grown crop before the
first white people came TO Amer
lea is shown by the fact that even
now it is known as Indian corn.
It's raising and preparation for
food was new to the colOniStS and
they learned from the Red men
that to make ready for planting
it was only necessary 70 cut down
a few trees, and remove the logs,
then burn off the underground
and leaves. When this had been
done. the ground was turned with
a forkcd stick. the seed dropped
i'm and covered. ther little more
was 10 be required until time for
gathering the matured crop.
The isolation of the colOniStS,
three thousand miles across the
water from the foodstuffS and
ways of their native lands. forced
them to develop new methods of
cookery. determined by the stu
alton which prevailed in different
regions. The first white women
learned from the Indian squaws
the trick of pounding the dried
grains i'm a mortar made from a
piece Of log followed to bowl
shape. and a round stone used as
n pcStlc. From this beginning we
have the regional foods built on
generations of skill which have
garnishcd them with the richness
of racial traditions.
Taught by the savageS. the
green corn as it reached milky
fullncsS. was roasted in the ashes
or boiled in the big iron pot
the sophisticated roasting ear or
corn on the cob which delights
epicures the world around. The
dried parched grains of the In
dians became the Shaker corn
which is the foundation for so
many dishes peculiar to the Dutch
people.
Another mode of preparation
and this was an invention of the
whites-was with rude crater
contrived from board with
teeth or pegs driven into it. BY
means of this. "gritted" bread,
made Of the new corn just before
it ripened into maturity, was
probably the basic stage of spoon
bread" of southern fame.
The mortar and pestle of the
savage was slow and tedious, and
mind of the white man soon turn
ed to its Improvement. As first
step, the stump of a tree was hol-
lowed by burning it out to the
desired depth. Then young sap
hng-hickOry. if one could be
found growing in the right loca-
tion-would be bent over and a
block. shaped for a peStle, fas-
tened to the pliable top branches.
BY this, probably no faster but
easier than the one operated en-
tirely by hand, meal was made.
The first mills which used grind
ing stones were crude affairs. The
ever-useful black gum furnished
a hollow section the right height.
Into this two stones were fitted,
the top one having some kind of
handle attached and a hole left
where the grains of corn could be
poured in. The miller turned the
handle on the revolving stone with
one hand while ne fed grain in
with the other.
All these methods took time
needed for other tasks. As the
pioneers looked at the streams
pouring over falls and rushing
down gorgeS in so many places,
it was but one more step for the
ingenious mind to devise the mill
operated by harnesSed water pow
Ell.
The initial effort along this
way was the pound mill, OF
"beater" operated by cleverly
contrivcd trip hammer. driven by
the natural flow of small
stream. In making this, log of
the desired length was chosen, and
if one with a hollow place in it
could be found, so much easier
the work If not, a depression
holding several gallons of water
was dug or burned out in the
large end On the other block
was fastened by strong thongs OF
hickory bark. At point on the
log as nearly the exact center as
could be ascertained, a hole was
bored and this was set on a post
where it would work easily. A
mortar was followed out from an
other section of log, and this had
an iron plate fitted,in the bottom
the finished receptacle being an.
chored firmly in position directly
under the end of the log to which
the block had been attached.