CHAPTER VI 

 CORN 



Where Corn is Produced. Almost three-fourths of the world's 

 corn crop is produced in the United States, and more than three- 

 fourths in the North American continent, as shown by the following 

 table: 



Percentage of World's Corn Crop Produced by Continents 1 (1906-1910) 



~ ,. Percentage of 



Continent world's crop 



North America 78.09 



Em-ope 15.08 



South America 4.20 



Africa 2.35 



Australia 28 



Of the corn produced in North America, less than five per cent 

 of the world's crop is produced in Canada and Mexico, so that the 

 United States, for the period 1906-1910, produced 73.39 per cent 

 of the world's crop. 



The Corn Belt. Seven adjacent states produce more than one- 

 half or, to be exact, 58 per cent of the corn crop. These states are 

 Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. 

 Fig. 15 shows the average distribution of -corn for the country. 



The two .principal reasons for the high production of this crop 

 in the corn belt, are the favorable climate and soil. Corn requires a 

 sunshiny climate and plenty of rainfall. In this region, rainfall is 

 heaviest during the summer months, while, at the same time, there 

 is a large percentage of bright clear days. The land is also level, 

 well-adapted to corn culture, and suited to the use of machinery. 



A second reason for so much corn in this region, is that there is 

 no competing crop that farmers cultivate as profitably. In the Gulf 

 States, corn may also be raised at a reasonable cost, but there it must 

 compete with the cotton crop, while in the northeastern states the 

 hay crop is more valuable. 



1 Asia produces a small amount of corn, but no available data. 



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