CAL1FOHXIA 



NAME AND OEIGIK 



MAIZE, or Indian Corn, is an herbaceous plant be- 

 longing to the family of grasses (Graminece). Its 

 Botanical name, Zea Mays, is indicative of its nutritive 

 quality, or power of sustaining life ; the generic term, 

 Zea, being derived from the Greek verb Zao, to live, 

 while the word Mays is supposed to come from the 

 Livonic Mayse, which signifies bread, or staff of life. 

 It stands preeminently at the head of the cereals, or 

 cereal grasses, which include all those that are culti- 

 vated for their grains, such as wheat, rye, maize, etc. ; 

 the term cereal being derived from Ceres, the name of 

 the Pagan goddess that presided over grain and har- 

 vests. 



In England, and on the Continent of Europe, the 

 word Corn is applied equally to wheat, rye, and bread- 

 stuffs in general ; while in this country the use of the 

 term is limited exclusively to maize. This specific 

 application of the word has been confirmed by a judi- 

 cial decision in Pennsylvania, in which it was ruled 

 by the court that the word Corn is a sufficient descrip- 

 tion of Indian corn. 

 2* 



