INDIAN CORN. 37 



Properties and Uses. There is no species of the 

 Cerealia, which manifests itself under such varied fofms, 

 sizes, colours, and chemical ingredients, as maize. 

 While some persons have estimated it in value, equal, if 

 not superior, to all other kinds of grain, others, on the 

 contrary, have placed it in the lowest station in the 

 group to which it belongs. It has been contended by 

 some that it contains no gluten, and little, if any, ready- 

 formed saccharine matter, and hence, could possess but 

 a very small nutritive power, while others have observed 

 that domestic animals, which are^ fed on maize, very 

 speedily become fat, with their flesh, at the same time, 

 remarkably firm ; that horses, which consume it, are 

 enabled to perform their full portion of labour, are 

 exceedingly hardy, and require but little care ; and 

 that the inhabitants of the countries where it forms a 

 large share of their food, are, for the most part, strong, 

 healthy, and long-lived. The investigations of vegetable 

 chemistry, however, have more recently revealed to us 

 many important and interesting facts on these points, yet 

 our knowledge on the subject is far from being complete. 

 According to Marabelli's analysis of Zea mays, 

 made twenty or thirty years ago, it contains a saccha- 

 rine matter of different degrees of purity, from which 

 alcoholf the oxalic an.d acetous acids may be obtain- 

 ed j a vegetable amylaceous substance ; a glutinous 

 substance ; muriate and nitrate of magnesia ; carbonates 

 of potash, lime, and of magnesia ; and iron. 



According to the analysis of M. Payen, maize con- 

 sists of the following ingredients. One hundred parts 

 by weight yielded 



Starch, 28.4 



Nitrogenized matter, ----- 4.8 



Fatty matter, (oil,) 35.6 



Colouring matter, 0.2 



Cellular tissue, 20.0 



Dextrine, -- 2.0 



Various salts, -------- 7.2 



Loss, - - - 1.8 



100.0 



