CHAPTER XV 



ORIGIN, CLASSIFICATION AND VARIETIES OF 



CORN 



IN the course of his early voyage Columbus found Indian 

 corn growing on the island of Hayti under the name of 

 "Mahiz," a Haytian word from which the name "maize" 

 is derived. It is generally held that mahiz, or marisi, 

 is an Arawak Indian word of South American origin. 

 In England the word "corn" is used in a general sense to 

 signify the bread grains whereas in North America it 

 applies specifically to Indian corn or maize. 



215. Nativity. Most authorities who have given 

 special study to the geographical origin of Indian corn 

 have concluded that it is probably native to Mexico/ 

 Some early writers have contended that Indian corn was 

 cultivated in Europe previously to the discovery of Amer- 

 ica, and therefore questioned its American origin. The 

 results of careful investigation do not support this con- 

 tention. 



There is much evidence in support of Harshberger's 

 conclusion that Indian corn is native, in all probability, 

 to the high plateau region of central or southern Mexico, 

 and that its cultivation originated there. Certain plants 

 that are relatives botanically to maize, notably teosinte 

 and gama grass, are native to this region. Also Zea 

 canina, a type of true maize thought by some to be the 

 progenitor of our cultivated maize has been found growing 

 wild in this section of Mexico. 



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