514 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



self, in importance. Those who are not in the 

 habit of regarding the vegetable kingdom with a 

 botanical eye, may possibly be eurpnsed to hear 

 this plant enumerated among the grasses ; yet, if 

 they will advert to the definition already given, 

 they will find the Indian corn to be a genuine 

 member of the gramineous iribe. It presents, 

 indeed, one of the few instances in which the stem 

 is solid with pith, instead of being hollow, or 

 fislular between the nodes ; but in every eesenlial 

 ieature, it will be found, on examination, to be a 

 true and undoubted grass.* The same remark 

 applies to the broom corn, the sna:ar cane, and 

 some others, in which the culm is filled with pith. 

 In a district like this, where every occupant of a 

 field, or garden, cultivaies his crop of Indian corn, 

 it would be wholly superfluous to dwell on the 

 excellence and manilold uses ol' this universal 

 favorite. Suffice it to say, that, while it is the 

 most productive of our cultivated grains, every 

 portion of the plant has its value, in rural and 

 domestic economy. The large pithy culm, about 

 the time of flowering, is replete with a rich sac- 

 charine juice, — from which, no doubt, a considera- 

 ble quantity of sugar might be extracted. The 

 entire herbage is therefore highly esteemed, as a 

 nutritious food for cattle, — the ears or spikes ol 

 fruit afford a choice treat to the epicure, even be- 



* The position and structural aspect of the fruit 

 bearing spike, or ear in this plant — though so differ 

 ent from the prevailing arrangement, in other grasses — 

 are yet rendered perfectly intelligible by the Goethean 

 theory of the developement and modification of the 

 vegetable organs. As the natural or normal termina- 

 tion of zW stems, and branches — when fully developed — 

 is in flowers and fruit, — it will be obvious, on exami- 

 nation, ttiat, while the culm, in this instance, termi- 

 nates as usual — though bearing only staminate flowers, 

 the ears of Indian corn are, in reality, lateral power- 

 ing branches, on which the numerous pistillate flowers 

 are concentrated into dense spikes ; each spike being 

 completely invested by the sheaths of abortive leaves 

 which originate at the crowded nodes of the short, 

 peduncle-like branch. That this is the true character 

 of the involucre or husks is appearent from the fact, 

 that several of the lower, or exterior sheaths, are of- 

 ten tipped with the laminea of imperfectly developed 

 leaves (analogous to the awns of the paleae in many 

 smaller grasses) ;— indeed, in some instances, those 

 sheaths may be seen bearing large foliaceous expan- 

 sions—almost as perfect as the leaves of the main stem. 

 I have also observed culms which put forth a flower- 

 ing branch of every node,— a little ear protruding 

 from the axil of every leaf, from the lowest to the 

 uppermost ; — though the usual number is two, or 

 three, about the middle of the culm. The branch 

 which supports the spike, is sometimes so much 

 elongated that it becomes too weak to sustain its 

 burthen erect,— in which case the mature ear is found 

 drooping or pendulous by the side of the culm ; and 

 occasionally, we find the spike itself ramifying, — i. e. 

 secoiidaiy branches, or spikes, issue from the axils of 

 the sheaths composing the husk,— so that there is 

 formed a compound spike, or cluster of several small 

 ears, on the same primary branch. There is also a 

 variety of maize, in which the flowering spikes are 

 still further developed ;— each floret and fruit on the 

 receptacle, being completely segregated, sub-pedun- 

 culate, and provided with its own proper husks, or 

 involucre, — while the whole are included in the com- 

 mon external envelope. Sometimes, even the flowers 

 of the tassel, or racemose panicle at the summit of the 

 culm, are so fully developed as to become perfect, 

 and produce fruit. 



lore they arrive at maturity, and when fully ripe 

 yield copious nourishment, in many forms, both 

 for man and beast ; while the very receptacles of 

 the seeds long considered as mere refuse, may 

 be either ground with the grain as food for stock, 

 or reserved as a convenient auxiliary fuel, in 

 lighting up our anthracite fires. In Pennsylvania, 

 and generally to the north, the larina of Indian 

 corn is not extensively used by itselfj in making 

 bread, — probably for want of skill and usage : but 

 whoever has experienced the hospitality of our 

 fellow-citizens on the southern side of Mason and 

 Dixon's Line, knows that corn bread is there 

 admirably prepared and almost universally pre- 

 ferred to every other kind. The inhabitants of 

 the west Indies, also, derive a large portion ol their 

 subsistance from our crops of Indian corn. It 

 must be added, moreover, that a vast amount of 

 this yrain, in conjunction with rye, is converted 

 by the distilleries into alcoholic poison, and its 

 wholesome properties transmuted into the pesti- 

 lent ministers to a depraved appetite. There are 

 two other grain-bearing grasses yet to be noticed ; 

 each of which is so eminently valuable to the 

 human race, that it is not easy to say which ia 

 entitled to the highest position in the scale of 

 importance. It will of course be understood ihat 

 I refer to wheat, {Triticum sativum, L.), and rice, 

 Oryza saliva, Z.) In point of intrinsic value, ! 

 think there is no doubt that wheat may justly 

 claim the precedence ; but as rice is believed to 

 aflbrd sustenance to a larger portion of the human 

 family, than any other grain, we may allow it, on 

 this occasion, to take rank as the first among the 

 cerealia, and therefore, according to our arrange- 

 ment of the subject, the last to be treated of! 

 Wheat however is clearly the most important of 

 the grains in the temperate zones, especially in 

 the higher latitudes. The Romans gave the nama 

 of Frumenium, to all the grains which furnish 

 bread, and in England the same grains are 

 designated by the name of corn ; but these names 

 were gradually, and by way of eminence, applied 

 more particularly to ivheat—as the great staple of 

 breadstuff's. So the term /Vomenf, is employed 

 by the French, in a similar sense ; and there was 

 formerly a dish, made of wheat boiled in milk, 

 which the English called Furmeniy, or Frumenty ; 

 names evidently derived from the Latin word, 

 Frumentum. Our colonial ancestors brought 

 with them the English term, corn, as applicable 

 to the European grains, and for the sake of dis- 

 tinction, they gave to the maize — which (hey 

 found here — the name of Indian corn. In process 

 of time, however, as the other grains had each a 

 proper name, the generic term, corn, has come to 

 be almost exclusively employed in the United 

 States to designate the maize : and thus the 

 word, like many others in our language, has by 

 usaije acqyired a somewhat different meaning, on 

 different sides of the Atlantic. I shall not trespass 

 on your patience by enlarging on a subject so 

 tiimiliar to all, as is the value and importance of 

 wheat. You are all aware, that in the greater por- 

 tion of our happy country— especially in the middle 

 and western states— it is one of the prominent 

 objects of our agriculture. So long, therefore, 

 as our people shall apply themselves to the till- 

 age of the soil, we may reasonably hope to be ex- 

 empted from that fearftil calamity, a want of 

 bread. In addition to the supply of food furnish- 



