AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 161 



A queer experiment with Indian corn was witnessed by 

 the Japanese pupils. It is called Indian corn, but even 

 before the Indians inhabited North America the corn had 

 begun its upward march toward perfection. It did not 

 always have the full, compact ears of plump kernels we now 

 see; centuries had passed in its development. The master 

 decided to have it retrace its steps, to go backward to what 

 it was before the Indians came, thinking that he might 

 gain some knowledge by which he could train it for greater 

 usefulness. The backward steps were taken in a few years, 

 so, in the plant school, corn in all stages of development 

 may be seen, from wild, grasslike corns to the best culti- 

 vated kinds. 



And the plant pupils heard the story of little Prince Arti- 

 choke, who, robed in purple and green, came to the plant 

 school direct from the gardens of the King of Italy. When 

 he reached America he found that here his most numerous 

 relatives were the despised and neglected thistles growing 

 by the wayside and in the fence corners, although in southern 

 Europe the artichoke grew in abundance in the gardens of 

 both rich and poor and was highly prized as an article of 

 food. It was served, not as a vegetable alone, but in salads, 

 soups, and many other ways; and the hearts of the tiny 

 buds preserved in oils, called baby artichokes, are thought 

 a great delicacy. 



But in America the real artichoke was little known or 

 appreciated, so the mission of this little foreigner was to 



