Naturalisation in Extra- Tropical Countries 5'2"> 



fiabelliformis, Alton ; R. humilis, Blume ; Chaingerops excelsa, 

 Thunb. ; Livistona Chinensis, Br. and Arenga saccharifera. Labill. 

 or a species closely allied to that palm. 



Xea Mays, Linne.* 



The Maize or Indian Corn. Indigenous to the warmer parts of 

 South- America. St. Hilaire mentions as its native country Para- 

 guay. A. de Candolle believes it to have come originally from New 

 Granada. Found as cultivated in Central America already by 

 Columbus. This conspicuous, though annual cereal grass interests 

 us on this occasion as being applicable to far more uses than those, 

 for which it has been employed in most parts of the globe. In 

 North- America, for instance, maize is converted into a variety of 

 dishes for the daily table, being thus boiled in an immature state, 

 as " green corn." Mixed with other flour it furnishes good bread. 

 For some kinds of cakes it is solely used, also for maizena, macaroni 

 and polenta. Several varieties exist, the Inca-Maize of Peru being 

 remarkable for its gigantic size and large grains ; the variety nana 

 is very hardy, having matured seeds in Norway as far north as 

 63 13' according to Professor Schuebeler. Some varieties in wet 

 tropical countries ripen grain within six weeks from the time of 

 sowing. Maize is not readily subject to the ordinary corn-diseases, 

 but to prosper its requires fair access to potash and lime. Good 

 writing and printing papers can be prepared from maize-straw. 

 Meyen calculated, that the return from, maize under most favorable 

 circumstances in tropical countries would be eight hundred fold, 

 and under almost any circumstances it is the largest yielder among 

 cereals in warm countries. Acosta counted on some cobs of the 

 Inca-Maize as many as 700 grains, and says that it is not uncommon 

 to harvest of this variety 300 fold of the seeds sown ; it grows to a 

 height of 15 feet in rich soil and under careful cultivation, by 

 which means the grains will become four or five times as large as 

 the ordinary kind. In Peru it can be grown up to an altitude of 8,000 

 feet. Mr. Buchanan, of Lindenau, obtained 150 bushels of ordinary 

 maize from an acre in Gippsland-flats, colony Victoria. In the 

 literal region of North-Queensland three harvests can be obtained 

 within a year from some varieties. Even in the very dry clime of 

 the Murray-River districts maize, but under irrigation, has yielded 

 80 bushels per acre [D. Cormack]. Prof. Blount succeeded in 

 growing a hardy variety of maize in Colorado at an elevation of 

 5,000 feet [W. Farrer.] From the stalks of ordinary maize, after 

 the ripened grains have been plucked, sugar at the rate of 900 Ibs. 

 per acre is still obtainable (Department of Agriculture, Washington). 

 Maize has come into use for alcoholic distillation. In 1879 already the 

 United States produced 1,547,900,000 bushels of maize on 53 millions 

 of acres, to the value of 580 million dollars or about 120,000,000. 

 In 1882 the maize-produce there was 1,617,000,000 bushels, from 

 68,800,000 acres, realising monetarily 783,867,000 dollars, equal to 

 163,000,000; in 1890 the yield was 1,490,000 bushels. The 



