CHAPTER X. 



INDIAN CORN. MAIZE. Zea Mays. 



273. The origin of the word &quot;Maize&quot; is from the Haytien 

 mahiz. This grain is a native of the American continent, and 

 was unknown to the rest of the world till the discoveries of 

 Columbus. It is still found growing wild from the Rocky 

 Mountains to Paraguay, but in this state, instead of having each 

 grain naked, it is completely covered with glumes or husks. 

 A variety of the wild corn has been cultivated of late years in 

 the northern States, under the name of &quot; Texas corn.&quot; This 

 grain was found by the first European explorers of the contin 

 ent to be everywhere cultivated by the natives. 



Only one species has usually been recognized in this country, but 

 the late M. Bonafous, director of the Royal Agricultural Garden of Tu 

 rin, in his Histoire nalurelle agricole et economique du Mais, describes 

 four distinct species, viz : 



1 . ZEA MAYS with leaves entire. 



2. ZEA CARAGUA, with leaves denticulated. 



3. ZEA HIRTA, with hairy leaves. 



4. ZEA ERYTHROLEPIS, with grains compressed, and red glumes 

 (husks.) 



From these, but especially the first, all the varieties at present culti 

 vated have sprung. 



274. It has a wide range of temperature in America, flour 

 ishing from about 40 of Southern to beyond the 45 of 

 Northern latitude. In Mexico its highest limits vary from 2000 

 to 8000 feet above the level of the sea ; and the time 

 necessary for it to ripen differs from six weeks to seven months 3 ac- 



