Of Food. 447 



they express in strong, though not in very delicate 

 terms. They say that " rice turns to water in their 

 bellies, and runs off, " but " Indian corn stays with 

 them, and makes strong to work" 



This account of the preference which negroes give 

 to Indian corn for food, and of their reasons for this 

 preference, was communicated to me by two gentlemen 

 of most respectable character, well known in England, 

 and now resident in London, who were formerly plant- 

 ers, one in Georgia, and the other in Jamaica. 



The nutritive quality which Indian corn possesses 

 in a most eminent degree, when employed for fattening 

 hogs and poultry, and for giving strength to working 

 oxen, has long been universally known and acknowl- 

 edged in every part of North America ; and nobody in 

 that country thinks of employing any other grain for 

 those purposes. 



All these facts prove to a demonstration that Indian 

 corn possesses very extraordinary nutritive powers ; and 

 it is well known that there is no species of grain that 

 can be had so cheap or in so great abundance. It is 

 therefore w r ell worthy the attention of those who are 

 engaged in providing cheap and wholesome food for 

 the poor, or in taking measures for warding off the 

 evils which commonly attend a general scarcity of pro- 

 visions, to consider in time how this useful article 'of 

 food may be procured in large quantities, and how the 

 introduction of it into common use can most easily be 

 effected. 



In regard to the manner of using Indian corn, there 

 are a vast variety of different ways in which it may be 

 prepared or cooked, in order to its being used as food. 

 One simple and obvious way of using it is to mix it 



