DIRECTIONS FOR USING INDIAN CORN. 



555 



From the New-York Albion. 



DIRECTIONS FOR USING INDIAN CORN. 



Dear Sir: If the very interesting pamphlet 

 addressed by you to Lord Askburton in 1842 on 

 the introduction oflnrliati Corn, free ofdutif, in- 

 to Ireland, could have had a circulation in Eng- 

 land proportioned to the importance of the sub- 

 ject, and the ability with which it was there pre- 

 sented, it could not have failed in making an 

 impression on that Government, and might have 

 gone far to mitigate the calamity under which 

 there is too much reason to fear Ireland is now 

 suffering. 



It is, however, an interesting fact to know, 

 that gentlemen are now writing out to their cor- 

 respondents in this country, to send them small 

 parcels of the nicest samples of Indian Corn 

 Meal ; and it is important to the last degree, that 

 nothing slrall happen to discourage these essays 

 to bring that great stapli' of our country into pop- 

 ular use in England. Under that persuasion, I 

 think it of some importance not only that meas- 

 ures be taken to accompany these samples with 

 the best culinary instructions, but to suggest. 

 what from the best infonnatiou I believe to be 

 true, that a little depends on the region of our 

 country where the corn has been produced. — 

 The facts which seem worthy of regard as to 

 corn, and which influence its quality for leaven- 

 ing or lightening, and for keepins street, apply 

 as W^ell to Wheat as to Indian Corn. 



Nothing is better known, than that Richmond 

 Flour commands a better price, especially in the 

 South American markets, and other vrarm cli- 

 mates generally, than flour manufactured far- 

 ther Nortli. Why is this? No machinery can 

 be better, nor manufacture more perfect than that 

 of Rochester or Baltimore ! Yet Richmond 

 Flour will keep better, absorb more water and 

 make more bread ; in a word, remain sound 

 longer, and so farther when made into bread. 

 The can?e of this is to be found, I am well per- 

 suaded, in the drier and lighter wheat of the 

 Southern growth, and the more spong)/ and ab- 

 sorbent nature of the f^our. If we had flour man- 

 ufactories yet farther South, the flour would be 

 equally as Vood, and as much in demand, as the 

 lliclimond brand, if as well manufactured. But 

 the fact is. I understand, that Northern wheat is 

 lieavier than Southern wheat, has more gluten 

 in it, is moisler, and hence will not keep so long, 

 or make as good flour for the baker. The .same 

 thing may be said probably of Indian Corn ; 

 that, as well as oats, and other Northern frrain, 

 or grain errown in mountainous regions South, 

 is header than Southern com and other grains 

 along the Southern seaboard, which supplies 

 Richmond with wheat. Much of their .supply 

 comes from .Tames River and south of it. Now 

 my fear is. that all the e.Kperimcnts made in Eng- 

 land and Ireland with Indian Corn Meal, will be 

 with Northern corn, going from the port of New- 

 York, heavier and better for stock, but not for 

 rnen who are to be converted to the use of it. 

 At the City Hotel, where I live, and where the 

 cooking department (as well as all others,) is 

 managed with great care and skill, the corn 

 bread, though much in demand at the table, and 

 (1143) 



judiciously made, is not comparable with such 

 as you meet with on the table of a Virginia 

 Houseu-ife. It will be clammy and solid when 

 broken or cut. The cakes too, are adhesive, and 

 not light, porous and open like a honey-comb. 

 In the South, make the •' Indian bread " as jou 

 may, it will be light and dry. mix and bake it 

 as you will. 



It is but proper to add, that the suggestions I 

 have here made, of the validity and soundness 

 of which I have no doubt, are the result of a re- 

 cent conversation with T. J-. Randolph, Esq., a 

 grandson of Mr. Jefferson, and who, true to his 

 blood on that subject, vras recently a conspicuous 

 member of the Education Convention at Rich- 

 mond. 



The views I have thrown out, are corroborated 

 by the following extract from a recent number of 

 the London Mark-Lane Express. 



" A Subscriberinyourpaperof September 15, 

 asks why wheat in the present day becomes in- 

 jured and rots quicker than used to be the case in 

 remote times, when it was stored away and kept 

 sound for an indefinite period ? Could the wheats 

 so stored away have been similar to the kinds 

 now cultivated ?" He also inquires, whether 

 the Egyptians and other people in the earlier 

 ages of the world cultivated other than the 

 bearded and many-spiked wheats cannot now be 

 decided, but the Romans were acquainted with 

 both winter (or beardless) wheats and the true 

 spring wheat, which is termed " tremois," or 

 three months, on the Continent, &e., in the pres- 

 ent day. The great stores of wheat gathered 

 up with a government influence and for national 

 purposes at the times " Subscriber" alludes to, 

 will be found to have been chiefly in the south 

 of Europe and the north of Africa; and as the 

 wheats of those districts are both harder and 

 tougher in the present day than those of the 

 north of Europe, and also contain less moisture, 

 it is only natural to infer that there was the same 

 coincidence of circumstances in olden times ; 

 and as the natural quantity of moisture in wheat 

 will be increased in the north of Europe to per- 

 haps double the qvantity it contains in the 

 south, so also will the chances against its keep- 

 ing for any long period be more diminished the 

 farther we recede from the tropical portion of 

 the earth. Moi-sture therefore in wheat must be 

 con.sidered as one of the principles which tend 

 to its decay; and although artilicial means, as kiln 

 drying, may be used for robbing it of a considera- 

 ble portion of the moisture, yet itdocs not appear 

 probable that any such process will ever render 

 the soft wheats of the north so well adapted for 

 keeping as the hard and horny wheats of warm 

 countries. 



I have only to repeat the expression of my 

 hope that the experiments in England will not 

 be generally on the flour cf Indian Corn of 

 northern growth, which would be very unfavor- 

 able to success ; but if gentlemen sending their 

 articles to their correspondents would procure it 

 from Richmond, or south of the Chesapeake, and 

 with it send a copy of the recipes I have append- 



