CHAP. XIV MAIZE 261 



No other cereal except rice is so extensively cultivated as Extensive 

 maize ; from America the plant has been carried to the ^J matze°" 

 warmer regions of Europe, Asia, and Africa as well as to 

 Australia, New Zealand, and the islands of Polynesia. As The many 



. . , . . . . . 1 „ uses of the 



the corn is very rich m nutritious matters, it is used all over plant. 



the world as food both for man- and animals ; sugar can be 



made from the stalks ; paper from the spathes or sheaths of 



the ears ; and the green leaves and stalks form excellent 



fodder for animals. Moreover, in some parts of Fiji the Used in Fiji 



natives grow large quantities of maize for the purpose of °^^^ 



paying the assessed taxes, the government sending on the 



corn to Australia in order to convert it into money. A fine 



flour, called maisena and corn-Jlour, is prepared from maize, 



and often used as a substitute for arrowroot ; and, as it is 



very nutritious and digestible, it is used as a valuable article 



of diet for children and invalids. One advantage that maize Advantages 



, , 1 • 1 1 • • 1 .of the maize. 



has over other cereals is the short time it takes to come to 

 maturity, and another is that the corn may be used for food 

 long before it is thoroughly ripe. 



Maize is a monoecious cane-like grass growing to a height Description 



~ ^ ~ - 1 . -1 rr^i 1 .of the plant. 



of from five to ten feet, or even higher. The male or stami- 

 nate flowers are borne at the summit of the plant in a loose 

 feathery panicle, and the female or pistillate flowers occur in ^lie flowers, 

 dense spikes springing from the axils of the leaves, and 

 enveloped by sheaths or spathes, the long pink styles hang- 

 ing out like silken tassels. The staminate flowers produce 

 an immense quantity of pollen, which, being easily wafted by 

 the wind, effects cross fertilisation. The number of spikes 

 of female flowers varies according to the vigour of the 

 plants ; as many as seven have been found on the same 

 plant ; but usually, from two to five are met with. When The fruit. 

 fertilisation has taken place, the female infloresence becomes 

 what is known as the ear of corn. The seeds are arranged 

 in rows upon a fibrous core called the cob, and the whole is 

 embraced by the spathes which are sometimes called the 

 husks. 



