10 



POPULAR ECONOMIC BOTANY. 



which the most conspicuous are the Large White^ the Large 

 Yellow^ and the Eed American sorts^ and the Small Yellow 

 of Southern Europe. 



Owing to its deficiency in gluten^ maize is not well adapted 

 for making bread ; it is however made into cakes^ which are 

 much esteemed in North America. Throughout the whole 

 of the American continent and islands it enters largely into 

 the common food of the people^ in a great variety of ways. 

 Like oats^ it is reduced to meal^ the pericarp or bran re- 

 maining mixed with the flour. In the preparation called 

 Jiomminy, the grain is first soaked^ and then exposed to a 

 drying heat^ which causes the bran to crack and peel off, it 

 is then easily separated : in this state it is much used for 

 puddings and other dishes. Pop-corn is another prepa-j 

 ration, made by slightly baking the unripe grains, whichj 

 makes them turn inside out, giving them the appearance of | 

 tapioca : this is also a favourite method of using the corn, S 



Several attempts have been made, but without success, to 

 cultivate maize in England : our summer is too short, and 

 our autumn too humid ; it is however extensively imported 

 from the United States and Italy, and used for feeding cat- 

 tle, etc., but is not regarded with much favour as human 

 food. The imports in 1847 (the year in which the potato- 



