No. 12. 



Indian Corn. 



189 



IX. Its cultivation compared with other 



grains. 



Mr. Taylor asserts that Indian corn pro- 

 duces more food for man, beast, and the earth, 

 than any other farinaceous plant. 



That Indian corn in a proper climate for it, 

 produces more farinaceous matter to the acre 

 than wheat, he proves as follows: 



"The highest product of Indian Corn in 

 the United States is one hundred bushels to 

 the acre, whereas the highest prod uct of vvheat 

 is sixty bushels per acre. Fifty bushels ot 

 corn to the acre is invariably produced by 

 land well manured, and well cultivated ; 

 whereas half that crop of wheat is extremely 

 rare, and in districts where the average crop 

 of wheat is five bushels, that of Corn is fif- 

 teen bushels to the acre." 



Mr. Taylor also contends that Indian Corn 

 is the least impoverishing crop. The corn- 

 stalks infinitely exceed wheat straw in bulk, 

 weight, and capacity for making food for the 

 earth, and English farmers consider wheat 

 straw as their most abundant resource for ma- 

 nure. But to the stalks of Corn must be add- 

 ed the blades, tops, shucks, and cobs, each of 

 which will nearly balance the litter bestowed 

 on the land by wheat. He further contends 

 that the quality of the sustenance thus re- 

 turned to the earth by Indian Corn is of a 

 better quality than that of wheat, and that it 

 incurs less risk of loss by evaporation. — 

 Wheat straw he says he has known to lose 

 two-thirds of its first weight. The shucks 

 and cobs of corn lose nothing by evaporation. 

 The rind preserves the stalks and the top 

 from the operation of the atmosphere, which 



upon the blades has only the effect it has up- 

 on grass, turning them into hay. 



X. The different uses to which the Indian 

 Corn can be applied, also recommend its cul- 

 tivation to the agriculturist. 



1. The stalk contains a large portion of 

 saccharine matter. Attempts have been 

 made in France to extract this matter for the 

 purpose of making sugar; but the modes 

 hitlierto used have not been crowned with 

 success, owing to the expensivetiess of the 

 process. 



According to Humboldt this manufaetnre \a 

 carried on with complete success in Mexico. 



The stalk, top, and leaves are used tor fod- 

 der for cattle, when dried, and sometimes the 

 whole plant is used for the same purpose in a 

 green state. When this is intended it is 

 sowed broadcast and cut before it goes to 

 seed.* 



of his master, if there were no ears of corn that 

 had odd rows. His master gave for answer, that 

 if he would bring him an ear of corn with an 

 odd row he would give him his freedom. The 

 negro made no remirk, but a year or two after- 

 wards he reminded his master of his promise, and 

 produced an ear that had nine rows. The Vn-- 

 ginia gentleman regarded the ear with astonish- 

 ment — counted it several times before he could 

 believe the testimony of his own eyes ; at length 

 he demanded of the negro how it had came to 

 pass. If [ tell massa, said the fellow, he will 

 not give me my freedom. Upon being assured 

 that he should have his freedom at all events, he 

 confessed that he had, in the earliest state of its 

 growth, unclosed the husk and cut out a row, 

 after which he closed it up again, and it present- 

 ed when ripe, the unnatural appearance of a 

 spike of corn with an odd row. He had, it ap- 

 peared by his own confession, been trying this 

 experiment upon many plants before he could 

 succeed. His master gave him his freedom, but 

 kept the odd ear of corn a great many years to 

 show to his acquaintances, to whom he was fond 

 of relating the anecdote. 



* A story is told in Virginia, but I will not vouch 

 for its accuracy. It is a common practice on the 

 plantations to give the slave a little spotof ground, 

 which he is allowed to cultivate for his own profit- 

 On one of these patches an old negro had planted 

 Indian corn for what is called " roasting ears," 

 and as he tended it with great care it was in the 

 most flourishing condition, and promised an 

 abundant harvest. It was the pride of his heart, 

 the object of his thoughts by day and his dreams 

 by night. He had already in his own mind cal- 

 culated the profits it would yield, and had deter- 

 mined upon some of the fine things he would 

 purchase with the proceeds. It so happened, 

 however, that just about the time that the female 

 flowers were ready to receive the fructifying 

 powers of the male ones, the owner of the little 

 cornfield had an unfortunate quarrel with an old 

 crone whose lodge was in the neighborhood of 

 his favorite little spot. His antagonist was no- 

 ted for having the free use of her tongue, and on 

 this occasion was more eloquent than she was 

 wont. After venting upon the man all the mal- 

 edictions she could recollect or invent, proceeded 

 to curse his favorite patch of corn, and in the 

 most solemn manner declared, that it should not 

 yield him a single ripe ear. Strange to tell, 

 when the time of harvest arrived, the poor slave 

 found that the malicious prophecy was true to the 

 letter, he had not a single perfect spike to serve 

 him for seed the following year. Among the ne- 

 groes this circumstance gained the old wench the 

 fame of being a dealer with the devil; and ever af- 

 terwards the negroes in all the country round wor- 

 shipped her through fear, as the Indians do evil 

 spirits. But so much was she shunned, that the 

 grass grew rankiy before the door of her hut ; 

 and when 'Aunt Molly" died at the age of nine- 

 ty-six, the whole black population of the country 

 considered themselves as relieved from a heavy 

 burden. 



How she effected her purpose she would nev- 

 er disclose ; but the owner of the plantation, and 



