MAIZE. 



269 



grade of size, color, and conformation, between the " clinbbj reed" 

 that groNvs on the shores of Lake superior — the gigantic stalks of 

 the Ohio valley — the tiny ears, with flat, close, clinging grains, of 

 Canada — the brilhant, rounded little pearl — the bright red grains 

 and white cob of the eight-rowed hsemalite — the swelling ears of 

 the big white and the yellow gourd seed of the South. Erom the 

 flexibility of this plant, it may be acclimatised, by gradual cultiva- 

 tion, from Texas to Maine, or from Canada to Brazil ; but its cha- 

 racter, in either case, is somewhat changed, and often new varieties 

 are the residt. The blades of the plant are of great value as food 

 for stock, and is an article but rarely estimated sidflciently, when 

 considering of the agricultural products of the Southern and South- 

 "Westem States especially. 



To supply slaves on plantations with bread, including old and 

 young, requires from twelve to thirteen bushels of corn each a 

 vear. Taking thirteen bushels as the average consumption of 

 breadstufi's by the 22,000,000 of people in the United States, the 

 aggi-egate is 286,000,000 bushels per annum. 



The increase of production, from 1840 to 1850, was 214,000,000 

 bushels, equal to 56 per cent. 



The production of New England advanced from 6,993,000 

 to 10,377,000 bushels, showing an increase of 3,384,000 bushels, 

 nearly fifty per cent. iSTew York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 

 Delaware and Maryland, increased 20,812,000 bushels, more than 

 fifty per cent. In the production of this crop no State has retro- 

 graded. Ohio, which in 1840 occupied the fourth place as a corn- 

 producing State, now ranks as the first. Kentucky is second, 

 Illinois third, Tennessee fourth. The crop of Illinois has increased 

 from 2,000,000 to 5,500,000 bushels, or at the rate of 160 

 per cent, in ten years. 



Of the numerous varieties some are best adapted to the 

 Southern States, while others are better suited for the Northern 

 and Eastern. Those generally cultivated in the former are the 

 Southern big and small yellow, the Southern big and small white 

 flint, the yellow Peruvian, and the Virginian white gourd seed. 

 In the more Northerly and Easterly States they cultivate the golden 

 sioux, or Northern yellow flint, the King Philip, or eight-rowed 

 yellow, the Canadian early white, the Tuscarora, the white flour, 

 and the Ehode Island white flint. 



The extended cultivation of this grain is . chiefly confined to the 

 Eastern, Middle, and AYestern States, though much more success- 

 fully grown in the latter. The amount exported from South 

 Carolina, in 1748, was 39,308 bushels ; from North Carolina, in 

 1753, 61,580 bushels ; from Georgia, in 1755, 600 bushels ; from 

 Virginia, for several years preceding the revolution, annually 

 600,000 bushels ; from Philadelphia, in 1765-66, 54,205 bushels ; 

 in 1771, 259,441 bushels. 



The total amount exported from America in 1770, was 573,349 

 bushels; in 1791, 2,064,936 bushels, 351,695 of which were 

 Indian meal ; in 1800, 2,032,435 bushels, 338,108 of which were 



