MAIZE. 



MAIZE. 



bread used by us. The fattening and invigo- 

 rating qualities of Indian corn make it the best 

 of all kinds of food for persons exposed to hard 

 labour or fatiguing duty. In the United States, 

 however, the preference so generally bestowed 

 by the labouring classes upon Indian corn, is 

 by no means confined to them, but shared alike 

 by rich and poor, for the sweetness of the bread, 

 and its wholesome and superior invigorating 

 virtues. Mixed with rye meal, it forms the 

 common brown bread of New England; mixed 

 with water alone, it makes a very palatable 

 species of extemporaneous bread. When 

 pounded in a mortar, or ground very coarse 

 and boiled, it forms the "hominy" and "grits" 

 which are such great favourites at the south ; 

 and the fine meal, boiled thick in water, is the 

 "mush" of Pennsylvania, and the "hasty-pud- 

 ding" of the Eastern States. In the form of 

 hulled corn, or samp, the whole grains furnish 

 a very palatable, although rather indigestible 

 luxury. Of the husks a beautiful kind of writ- 

 ing-paper has been manufactured in Italy; and 

 when soaked in hot water, they make excellent 

 mattrasses. A grayish paper may be made 

 form all parts of the plant. 



Enemies and Diseases. The bird, insect, and 

 other depredators have been already referred 

 to under the head of BIRDS, CUT-WORM, WIRE- 

 WORM, PLANT-LICK, &c. Among the diseases, 

 the chief one is a dark or blue-black spungy 

 growth, which sometimes takes the place of 

 the blighted ear of corn. The mass some- 

 times grows till 5 or 6 inches in diameter, and 

 is to be considered a luxuriant or rank species 

 of fungus. As the species of parasitic plants 

 to which this belongs are so readily destroyed 

 by applications of common salt, there is reason 

 to believe that soaking the seeds well in salt- 

 water previous to planting, or scattering salt 

 over the ground, will prevent this disease. 



In all the fields of maize, says Mr. Lorain, 

 which have been examined by me, some plants 

 entirely barren have been seen without any 

 apparent cause. 



The fungus appears to be principally occa- 

 sioned by wounds inflicted during cultivation. 

 The plants commonly bleed from these wounds, 

 and a fungus is formed. This, when in contact 

 with the ear, is certain destruction to it, unless 

 the fungus be soon seen and removed. When 

 it is formed on other parts of the plant, it fre- 

 quently corrodes them so much that they are 

 incapable of perfecting their fruit. The only 

 remedy known to me is speedy removal, and 

 repeating the operation if the fungus should 

 reappear : which generally occurs. But even 

 this tedious remedy is too often found insuffi- 

 cient. It is, therefore, far better not to create 

 this disease, by mangling the plants, either by 

 the savage practice of harrowing over them, 

 or by covering them with clods, stones, or sods, 

 as is too often done by the inconsiderate mode 

 of hilling or ridging them up. Although many 

 of the plants wounded by these injudicious prac- 

 tices survive and appear to flourish, even when 

 the fungus is not removed, still, numbers of 

 them become too debilitated to perfect their fruit. 



A reddish kind of rust sometimes appears 

 on the leaves, but seldom does much apparent 

 injury to the ears, unless it becomes extensive. 

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However, the same rust sometimes fixes upon 

 the stalks and causes them to decay. 



When this is near the ear, or the decay is 

 extensive, the plant produces little or no grain; 

 but I have never seen very extensive injury 

 done by this disease. The cause of it is un- 

 known to me. It may, however, proceed from 

 the bruises and wounds inflicted by an incon- 

 siderate cultivation; especially as the tassel, 

 wrapped in its own leaves, may be seen formed 

 in the plant when it is quite young. Too many 

 farmers think the health and vigour of the 

 plants are greatly promoted by harrowing over 

 them, and mangling their tops while they are 

 young. Also, by cutting and rending the roots 

 of them, provided this be not done after the 

 tassels and ear shoots appear; than which 

 nothing can appear more preposterous. (Prac- 

 tical Husbandry.) 



, It sometimes happens, as the effect of storms, 

 that the pollen is blown or beaten off the tassel 

 before all the silk has protruded from the ear. 

 The consequence of this is a failure in the de- 

 velopement of grains in the extremity or other 

 portion where the silk was deficient. It has 

 been urged, among the reasons for letting 

 the suckers grow, that being later in tasseling 

 and less exposed to high winds, they assist to 

 promote the process of fecundation after the 

 tassels of the main stalks have shed their pol- 

 len. As an evidence of this, it has been stated 

 that the earliest ears are always best covered 

 with grain, while those which push late often 

 exhibit a quarter or a half of naked cob, the 

 consequence of imperfect impregnation. 



Harvesting the Crop. This is effected very 

 differently in different portions of the Union. 



1. In Pennsylvania, and the Northern and 

 Eastern States, the corn is usually cut off at 

 the surface of the ground, as soon as the grain 

 has become glazed, or hard upon the outside, 

 and whilst the blades are still green, put im- 

 mediately into shocks, and thus left some time 

 standing in the field. The corn after becoming 

 sufficiently dry is husked and cribbed, and the 

 stalks with all the attached fodder and husks 

 are carted home and stacked for provender. 



2. In the Southern and Southerly portions of 

 the Middle Slates, the corn is commonly husked 

 in the field, the stalks having previously had 

 the blades stripped below the ears, and the 

 tops lopped off above the ears. When, there- 

 fore, the ear has been separated, the naked 

 stalk is left standing with the husk, which is 

 soon afterwards eaten off by cattle. 



There are some other modes of gathering 

 corn and securing the fodder, but those de- 

 scribed are by far the most general. In some 

 parts of the fertile Western States, where the 

 crops are extremely luxuriant, with the absence 

 of facilities to get the grain to market, it is 

 common to husk out and secure enough of the 

 corn for family use and then turn the hogs and 

 cattle into the field to consume the remainder. 



By the first of these methods the crop may 

 be secured before the autumnal rains, with all 

 its valuable fodder, and the ground cleared in 

 time for a winter crop of wheat or rye. The 

 juices retained by the stalk are sufficient to 

 nourish the corn to maturity. By the second 

 mode there is always a loss in the grain pro- 



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