268 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. 



CORN CULTURE. 



BY MR. J. H. GODDARD OF BaRRB. 



The subject upon which I am to speak on this occasion 

 is corn^ an article of substantial and wholesome food for 

 both man and beast, and with which we have been acquainted 

 from our childhood's days, when with such a keen relish 

 we ate our basin of mush and milk, or the nice "Johnny 

 cake," crisp, golden and hot, spread with butter of similar 

 golden hue. And it may well be questioned whether it 

 would not be better for the health of the rising generation 

 if they were to use more corn meal and less fine flour than 

 is the prevailing custom at present. 



I said corn is a crop with which we have long been famil- 

 iar, and I appreciate the difficulty of saying anything in 

 regard to it that shall be new or interesting in this presence. 



What can be more beautiful than a field of growing corn 

 in July and August, as it rustles in the breeze and glints in 

 the sunshine, giving promise of the golden harvest of 

 autumn ; and it would seem very strange, perhaps, to any 

 of us that any one should hesitate in recognizing this mag- 

 nificent crop at sight, — and yet, according to Thomas Nast, 

 such a one has been found. In one of his illustrations, a 

 substantial and apparently well-to-do farmer is seen looking 

 over the fence upon his fine field of corn, when a city 

 " dude" comes along and says, " That's a fine-looking field, 

 captain; may I ask what kind of grain tliatis?" "Cer- 

 tainly," the farmer replies, "that is corn." "Ah! corn, 

 did you say? I never saw any corn like that. I always 

 thought corn was a liquid, you know." 



I hope no member of this Board is accustomed to use his 

 corn in liquid form. 



Corn is king ! If not the absolute monarch of all vegeta- 

 ble products, it certainly may be reckoned as king of the 

 cereals. Its origin is very ancient, and in those early times 

 the term " corn" was used in a very comprehensive sense, 

 and included all cereal and farinaceous grains which grow 

 in ears and are used for food ; as wheat, barley, rye and 

 maize. In England, corn means wheat. In this country, 

 maize. 



