BROOM CORN AND CORN SUGAR. 27 



come to this place after 13 moons and you shall find something that 

 will be of great benefit in nourishing you and your children to the 

 latest generation. 5 They did so, and to their great surprise, found 

 plants they had never seen before, but which, from that ancient time, 

 have been constantly cultivated among us, to our great advantage. 

 Where her right hand touched the ground, they found maize ; where 

 her left had touched it they found kidney beans ; and where she had 

 seated herself they found tobacco." 



The second variety of maize produces white grains, and this is the 

 kind chiefly cultivated in the Sontli of Europe, where it is only 6 or 

 7 feet high, and the ear 6 or 7 inches long. Neither of these varieties 

 come to maturity in England, except in very favorable seasons. The 

 third variety has both white and yellow seeds, and is even smaller 

 than the last, rarely exceeding 4 feet in height, and the ears 4 or 5 

 inches in length. It is cultivated in this country and in the middle 

 parts of Europe. In Germany it is used in the preparation of beer. 



It is common, in cultivating corn in some places, to remove the 

 blades and the top and tassel, as soon as the farina or polen, has been 

 deposited on the ears, in order to admit the sun and to afford more 

 nutriment to the grain. Parts removed are slacked, making good 

 food for cattle and sheep in the spring, and being very sweet. The 

 ears are either picked on the field or the stalk is cut and the whole 

 removed, when the stalks are fed to cattle, as they abound with saccha- 

 rine matter. Latterly, however, the stalks have been discovered 

 to be still more valuable for making sugar. The leaves make a good 

 wrapping paper, and the husks a good writing paper. 



Broom corn is another species, which, with us, is very valuable for 

 making floor brooms. It is much cultivated on the Connecticut river, 

 in Mass. The amount produced on the acre is from 800 to 1000 Ibs., 

 beside 60 or 70 bushels of seed. The brush is estimated to be worth 

 4 or 5 cts. the Ib. and sometimes 10 or 12 cts. The seed on an acre, 

 at 33 cts. the bushel, is said to be equal to a crop of oats. 1.300 

 acres of this plant are cultivated in the town of North Hampton and 

 vicinity, the brush and seed of which is valued at $100.000 annually. 

 The adjoining town of Hadley manufactures brooms to the value of 

 $ 1 60.000 annually. One person it is said makes 80.000 brooms a-year. 

 The process of cultivation is like that of the Indian corn. 



Corn Sugar Considerable attention has been attracted within the 

 last year to experiments made to obtain sugar from corn stalks. Thus far 

 the success indicates the most important results. An excellent syrup, 

 or molasses, has been obtained, and Ihe susur we have seen was cer- 

 tainly of a very superior quality. Mr. Webb, of Wilmington, (Del.) 

 has introduced this discovery to notice ; and he affirms that his an- 

 ticipations have been more arid more confirmed by every succeeding 

 step in the investigation." At present it appears that there is " no 





