INDIAN CORN. 



8. Virginia White Gourd- Seed Corn. The ears of 

 this corn, which are not very long, neither is the cob so 

 large as those of the big white or yellow flint, contain 

 from twenty-four to thirty-six rows of very long, nar- 

 row grains of so soft and open a texture, that they will 

 not bear transportation, by sea, unless they are pre- 

 viously kiln-dried, or completely excluded from the 

 moist air. These grains at their exterior ends are 

 almost flat, and grow so closely together from the cob 

 to the surface, that they produce a greater yield than 

 any other variety, in proportion to the size of the ears. 

 They contain more starch and less gluten and oil than 

 those of the flint kinds ; and from their softness, they 

 serve as better food for horses, but are less nourishing 

 to poultry and swine. The colour of this variety is* 

 always white, unless it has been crossed with other 

 kinds, which may invariably be known by a small in- 

 denture in the ends of the grains, when perfectly dried. 

 The oily and glutinous parts of the Virginian gourd- 

 seed always occur on the sides of its elongated grains, 

 while the starch projects quite through to their sum- 

 mits, and by contraction in drying, produces the pits 

 or depressions peculiar to their ends. This variety is 

 later ripe, though more productive than any other 

 kind. Several valuable hybrids have been produced 

 by its cross fecundation with the yellow and white flinty 

 sorts, among which, are the Yellow Gourd- Seed, and 

 the celebrated Burden and Baden varieties, the latter of 

 which, has produced as many as ten ears to a stalk ! 



9. Early Sweet or Sugar Corn, sometimes called 

 Pappoon Corn. This variety was introduced into 

 Massachusetts, in 1779, by Captain Richard Bagnal, 

 of Plymouth, from the country bordering on the Sus- 

 quehannah, on his return from the expedition against 

 the tribes of the Six Nations, under the command of 

 General Sullivan. There are two kinds of this corn, 

 one with the cob red, and the other white. The ears 

 are short, and usually contain eight rows, the grains of 

 which, when mature, are of a light colour, and become 

 shrivelled and appear as if they were unripe. It con- 



