Some  Facts  About  the  Corn  Plant 
head  is  Interchangeable  with  the  cutting  head,  and  parties  can  have 
either  or  both,  and  change  them  at  will.  We  also  expect  to  have  It  so 
arranged  for  the  coming  fall  that  It  can  be  used  for  cutting  ensilage, 
that  Is,  It  can  be  used  for  cutting  ears  and  all  without  husking. 
The  picture  gives  a  very  fair  idea  of  the  way  the 
fodder  looks  as  it  comes  from  the  machine.  The  whole 
stalk  is  fed  into  the  machine,  the  husked  car  drops  out 
at  one  side,  while  all  the  rest  of  the  stalk  appears  as 
shown  in  the  picture.  No  hand  husking,  no  chopping 
stalks  itnd  no  scraping  butts  off  of  the  manure  fork  on 
your  boot.  This  crushed  product  would  make  good 
ensilage.  It  could  be  thrown  into  a  silo,  and  wet 
with  water— many  farmers  do  not  cut  up  their  ensilage 
corn  until  the  ears  have  been  husked  off.  The  chopped, 
dry  stalks  soaked  with  water  make  good  ensilage. 
It  can  be  baled  as  described  in  the  above  letter.  This 
machine  would  be  useful  for  men  like  Mr.  Lewis,  who 
do  not  care  to  feed  their  stalks.  This  crushed  product 
could  be  spread  right  on  the  ground  and  plowed  in  or 
rotted  down  in  the  barnyard. 
Another  possible  use  for  stalks  is  in  the  manufacture 
of  paper.  The  editor  of  the  Paper  World  sends  this 
note  in  reply  to  our  questions  : 
Experiment  lifts  repeatedly  shown  that  corn  busks  and  loaves  are 
capable  of  making  a  very  satisfactory  quality  of  paper;  but  The 
Paper  World  is  not  aware  that  they  are  in  practical  use,  either  In  this 
country  or  abroad. 
Others  are  not  so  sanguine  about  this,  as  will  be  seen 
from  the  following  notes ;  still  the  stalks  have  never 
yet  been  placed  in  the  manufacturer’s  bands  in  the 
best  shape. 
Paper  can  be  successfully  made  from  the  leaves  of  corn,  but  not  at  a 
profit.  The  waste  Is  so  much  that  a  very  small  product  Is  left  from  a 
ton  of  the  raw  material.  Very  beautiful  papers  have  boon  made  from 
the  husks  of  the  Indian  corn,  but  of  late  years  wood  Is  taking  the  placo 
of  almost  every  other  material  for  the  manufacture  of  most  kinds  of 
THE  KICK  KENDAI.L  CO. 
No  newspaper  at  present  has  straw  pulp,  only  the  cheapest  grades 
are  entirely  wood  sulphite  and  ground  wood.  Nothing  Is  so  easily  worked 
as  wood  or  so  choap.  The  cheap  grades  of  straw  butchers’  wrapping 
and  boards  are  made  in  the  West,  of  straw 
after  boiling.  Had  corn  stalks  been  of  any 
use  they  would  have  been  used  from  the 
first;  all  known  fibers  and  substances  have 
been  experimented  with.  The  paper  makers 
of  to-day  aro  very  keon  men;  they  have 
to  be,  as  competition  Is  so  close.  Only  tho 
largest  mills  with  extensive  capital  can 
make  paper  at  present  prices.  Exhaustive 
studies  in  chemistry  and  mechanical  con- 
trivances  havo  ami  are  being  made.  A  mill 
must  have  a  huge  water  power  or  natural 
j  gas  to  make  paper  at  a  small  profit.  Paper 
Is  cheaper  In  America  than  anywhere 
ft  IS*1  Wl-N  ...  >  Oise.  VEKNON  111108.  &  CO. 
in  grains  ;  100  grains  are  equal  to  3%  ounces,  one  ounce 
being  equal  to  28.38  grains. 
Protein.  Fats.  Carbo-  Total.  Potential 
hydrates.  energy. 
London  Sewing  Girl. ..  53  33  316  402  1820 
English  Blacksmith...  176  71  667  914  4115 
Herman  Mechanic....  151  54  479  684  3085 
German  Miner .  133  113  634  880  4195 
German  Soldier  Peace  114  39  480  633  2800 
Italian  Laborer .  82  40  362  484  2190 
German  Sewing  Girl..  52  53  301  406  1940 
Italian  Brick  Maker..  187  117  675  959  4640 
Japan  Student .  97  **  16  438  551  2345 
French  Canadian 
In  Canada .  109  109  527  745  3620 
French  Canadian 
In  Massachusetts.  118  204  549  871  4630 
Boston  Mechanic .  182  254  617  1053  5640 
Amer.  Brick  Maker...  180  365  1150  1695  8850 
U.  S.  Army .  120  161  454  735  3860 
American  Teamster..  254  363  826  1443  7805 
greatest  and  bravest  deeds  of 
American  history  have  been  per¬ 
formed  on  a  diet  of  corn  meal. 
The  men  who  founded  and  main¬ 
tained  this  country  until  the  ma¬ 
in  perfect  running 
HHHI  order  were  corn  eaters  first,  from 
necessity  and,  later,  from  choice. 
^  fir  Wheat  is  the  grain  for  the  highest 
civilization  ;  maize  is  the  friend  of 
the  pioneer.  The  Pilgrims  could  not  grow  wheat  be¬ 
cause  they  had  not  the  tools,  the  stock  or  the  manure 
needed  to  fit  the  land  for  this  dainty  plant.  They 
found  in  maize  a  rough,  strong  grower — a  pioneer 
capable  of  growing  and  thriving  in  the  rudest  and 
roughest  culture.  As  time  went  on,  it  was  found  that 
maize  is  not  only  a  “rustler,”  but  that  it  responds  to 
the  highest  culture  and  care.  It  is  a  fit  representative 
of  the  typical  American  character — strong,  active  and 
self-reliant,  capable  of  honest  growth  and  develop¬ 
ment  in  any  situation  and  still  quick  and  eager  to 
reach  out  for,  and  improve  better  opportunities  for 
growth  and  culture.  Over  70  years  ago  it  was  urged  An  American  Corn  Crop. — An  idea  of  the  immense 
that  an  Indian  corn  plant  “  should  be  emblazoned  on  value  of  the  Indian  corn  plant  to  America  can  be 
our  national  arms  rather  than  the  bird  of  prey!  ”  There  obtained  from  this  table, 
is  still  strong  sentiment  and  sense  in  favor  of  the 
change.  No  cultivated  plant  is  more  worthy  of  care¬ 
ful  study  by  scientists  and  practical  men  alike  than 
Indian  corn.  No  plant  will  be  more  useful  in  solving 
the  food  problem  of  the  future. 
Food  Value  of  Corn. — Corn  is  not  a  perfect  food. 
It  is  too  heating,  containing  too  much  fat  and  too 
little  of  the  bone  and  muscle-making  elements.  The 
Pilgrims  succeeded  on  a  corn  diet 
because  they  recognized  this  fact 
and  ate  beans  and  codfish  with 
their  corn  bread,  thus  making  a 
“  perfect  ration.”  In  other  parts  ; 
of  the  country  where,  for  genera- 
tions,  people  have  eaten  corn 
bread,  fat  pork  and  sweet  pota- 
toes,  we  are  not  surprised  to  find 
men  with  poorer  teeth,  poorer 
stomachs,  bones  and  brains  than  *.  1 
those  possessed  by  the  Northern  ! 
bean  eaters.  Corn  supplies  the  >4 
bulk  and  the  heat  of  the  human 
ration  cheaper  than  they  can  be 
obtained  in  any  other  form.  Prof. 
Atwater  has  made  careful  studies  * , •• 
of  the  nutritive  values  of  dif-  j 
ferent  foods,  with  special  ref¬ 
erence  to  fuel  value  or  their 
of  supplying  heat  and  I. 
was 
A  little  figuring,  with  these  two  tables  and  the  cur¬ 
rent  prices  for  foods  for  a  basis,  will  show  clearly 
what  a  wonderful  factor  in  the  world’s  food  supply  is 
American  maize.  There  is  no  question  in  the  world 
to-day  of  more  vital  importance  than  that  of  extending 
the  European  consumption  of  Indian  corn.  The 
possible  benefit  to  both  continents  is  almost  beyond 
measure. 
TOTAL  YEARLY  CROPS  IN  BUSHELS. 
Corn.  Wheat.  Oats.  Itye.  All  Grain. 
1889.. .  2,112,892,000  490,560,000  751,515,000  28,415,000 
1885.. .  1,936,176,000  357,112.000  629,409.000  21,756,000  3,015,439,000 
1880.. .  1,717,434,543  498,549,868  417,885,380  24,540,829  2,718,193,501 
1875.. .  1,321,069,000  292,136,000  354,317,500  17,722,100  2,032,235,300 
1870.. .  1,094,255,000  235,884,700  247,277,400  15,473,600  1,629,027,600 
The  corn  crop  of  1889 — grain  alone — weighed  59,151,976 
tons.  The  total  production  of  hay  in  all  the  States 
power 
strength  to  the  body.  The  fol-  EsaJsii? . 
lowing  figures  are  taken  from 
Prof.  Atwater’s  bulletin  on  the 
Chemistry  and  Economy  of  Food, 
issued  by  the  Storrs  School  Experiment  Station.  The 
term  “potential  energy,”  simply  indicates  the  fuel  value 
of  the  food  or  its  capacity  for  yielding  heat  for  keeping 
the  body  warm  and  for  giving  muscular  strength.  The 
figures  are  merely  comparative — that  is,  they  show  how 
corn  differs  from  other  foods  in  its  ability  to  sustain 
life.  They  refer  chiefly  to  human  food.  The  value  of 
corn  for  stock  food  is  pretty  well  understood.  For 
making  fat  either  as  butter  or  flesh,  there  is  no  better 
grain  than  corn.  It  is  not  always  the  cheapest  or, 
when  fed  alone,  the  healthiest,  but  when  fed  in  suit¬ 
able  combinations  it  is  the  best  fat  maker  known. 
The  first  table  gives  the  percentage  of  water  and 
nutriment  in  a  number  of  articles  of  food  and  also  the 
“  potential  energy”  (or  their  value  for  supplying  heat 
and  strength  to  the  body)  in  one  pound  of  each. 
ffA  across  tlio  whole  piece,  then  they  raise 
•  W.  little  hills  at  about  three  to  four  feet  dis¬ 
tance,  into  each  of  which  they  put  two  or 
three  good  seeds,  covering  them  about  an 
inch  thick  with  earth;  then  they  move  tho 
line  four  feet  further,  continuing  to  do  tho 
same  through  the  whole  spot  of  ground,  so  that  the  rows  may  be  four 
feet  asunder,  and  the  hills  three  or  four  feet  distance.  Six  quarts  of 
this  seed  Is  generally  allowed  to  an  acre  of  land,  which,  If  the  soil  be 
good,  will  commonly  produce  50  bushels  of  corn. 
In  the  planting  of  this  corn  where  they  observe  to  plant  the  grain  of 
any  colour  in  a  field  by  itself, and  no  othercolourod  grain  stand  near  It, 
It  will  produce  all  the  same  colour  again,  as  hath  been  afllrmcd  by 
many  curious  persons  who  havo  tried  the  experiment;  but  If  the  rows 
are  alternately  planted  with  grain  of  different  colours,  they  will  Inter¬ 
change,  and  produce  a  mixture  of  all  tho  sorts  In  the  same  row;  and 
frequently  on  one  and  the  same  splko;  and  some  do  affirm  they  will 
mix  with  each  other  at  the  distance  of  four  or  five  rods,  provided 
there  Is  no  tall  fence  or  building  between  to  intercept  them. 
There  Is  nothing  more  to  be  observed  in  the  culture  of  this  grain  but 
only  to  keep  it  clear  from  weeds  by  frequent  hoeing  of  the  ground; 
and  when  the  stems  are  advanced  to  draw  the  earth  up  in  a  hill  about 
each  plant,  which,  if  done,  will  greatly  strengthen  them,  and  preserve 
the  ground  about  their  roots  moist  for  a  considerable  time. 
A  Pile  of  Crushed  Corn  Fodder.  Fig.  119. 
was  blit  46,643,094  tons  in  1888.  Potatoes  are  ealled  a 
“  water  erop  ”  and  yet  the  total  production  for  1888 
weighed  but  6,070,920  tons.  California,  the  Dakotas, 
Michigan,  Minnesota,  Oregon,  Colorado  and  Washing¬ 
ton  are  the  only  States  producing  more  wheat  than 
corn.  In  most  of  the  others  the  corn  crop  is  of  more 
value  than  the  totals  of  all  other  grain  crops  put 
together. 
The  Wastes  of  Indian  Corn. — There  are  really  no 
wastes  to  this  plant  if  we  consider  the  manorial  value 
of  the  stalks  either  burned  in  the  field  or  crushed  down 
and  plowed  in.  In  parts  of  the  West  the  cattle  are 
turned  in  to  eat  the  stalks  after  the  ears  have  been 
snapped  off.  What  the  cattle  leave  are  crushed  with 
a  harrow  or  roller  and  either  raked  and  burned  or 
covered  with  the  plow.  The  silo  has  changed  a  good 
deal  of  this,  but  on  many  great  corn-fields  the  stalks 
are  not  valued,  because  it  is  too  much  work  to  cut  and 
haul  them.  Now  that  corn  harvesters  have  been  in¬ 
vented  there  is  less  excuse.  But  there  are  farmers 
who  want  some  use  for  their  stalks  besides  that  of 
feeding.  Is  there  any  way  in  which  the  stalks  can  be 
made  into  a  salable  cash  product?  One  way  is  illus¬ 
trated  by  the  pile  of  shredded  stalks  shown  at  Fig.  119. 
This  is  just  as  the  product  came  from  a  machine  made 
by  the  Keystone  Manufacturing  Co.  We  have  referred 
to  this  machine  before;  now  the  manufacturers  write 
the  following: 
The  product  shown  In  the  picture  sells  for  about  the  same  as  the 
best  tame  hay.  It  is  being  extensively  shir  ped  and  baled  from  many 
localities,  and  has  met  with  great  favor  in  several  of  the  cities  and 
towns.  Experiments  have  been  made  during  the  past  winter  with  a 
shredding  head  on  the  machine  Instead  of  a  knife  head,  and  they  have 
proved  that  it  is  a  great  success.  It  shreds  the  fodder  lengthwise 
and  thoroughly  breaks  It  up  Instead  of  cutting  it,  and  there  Is  an  ad¬ 
vantage  over  cutting  In  that  there  are  no  sharp  edges  to  the  fodder, 
and  no  large  pieces.  The  preparation  of  the  fodder  In  this  way  Is  de¬ 
cidedly  better  than  that  effected  by  thrashing  machines,  for  the 
reason  that  the  husker  and  rollers  of  our  machine  hold  the  stalks 
firmly  while  the  shredder  attachment  does  its  work.  This  shredder 
In  1796 — 96  years  ago — a  wager  of  $250  was  made  be¬ 
tween  John  Stevens  of  Hoboken,  N.  J.  and  Daniel 
Ludlow  of  Westchester,  N.  Y.,  as  to  which  could  grow 
the  largest  yield  of  corn  on  three  acres.  Mr.  Stevens 
won — his  yield  being  354  bushels  and  six  quarts,  while 
Mr.  Ludlow’s  yield  was  295  bushels  and  12  quarts. 
Mr.  Stevens  “  would  have  grown  more  but  for  a  very 
severe  thunder  storm.” 
Mr.  Ludlow  evidently  believed  in  the  drill  system  as, 
we  are  told,  “he  planted  his  corn  in  continuous  rows, 
about  four  feet  apart  and  eight  inches  in  the  row,  and 
applied  200  loads  of  street  dirt." 
Mr.  Stevens  “  plowed  in  700  loads  of  street  manure 
and  planted  in  double  rows  of  5>£  feet  asunder,  and  was 
at  the  pains  of  dibbling  in  each  grain  over  the  three 
acres.”  To  hurry  things  “  he  bored  two  rows  of  holes 
in  a  piece  of  board  of  about  four  feet  long,  so  as  to 
form  equilateral  triangles,  the  sides  of  which  were 
seven  inches.  Tnto  these  holes  he  drove  pegs  about 
3%  inches  long,  and  the  seed  corn  was  dropped  into 
these  holes.”  The  corn  was  “ suckered  three  times” 
and  frequently  plowed  and  hand-weeded.  If  “tillage 
is  manure,”  Mr.  Stevens  certainly  deserved  to  win,  as 
do  all  who  cultivate  with  brains  and  care. 
Carbo-  Potential 
Water.  Protein,  hydrate.  Fat.  Mineral.  Energy. 
87.1  6.  3.7  1.2  2.  230 
10.5  1.  0.5  85.  3.  3615 
73.8  14.9  ....  10.5  0.8  721 
53.6  21.4  ....  0.3  1.6  410 
12.5  11.  74.9  1.1  0.5  1644 
15.0  9.2  70.6  3.8  1.4  1645 
12.6  23.1  59.2  2.  3.1  1615 
78.9  2.1  17.9  0.1  1.  375 
7.6  15.1  68.2  7.1  2.  1850 
81.3  2.8  13.2  1.1  0.6  345 
83.2  0.2  15.9  0.4  0.3  315 
13.1  6.7  78.7  0.8  0.7  1625 
32.3  8.8  56.3  1.7  0.9  1280 
34.2  9.5  53.3  1.4  1.6  1225 
8.  10.3  70.5  9.4  1.8  1900 
12.4  7.4  79.4  0.4  0.4  ’  1630 
87.2  2.2  9.4  0.4  0.8  235 
43.4  17.3  ....  26.4  2.6  1860 
91.9  2.1  5.5  0.3  1.1  155 
87.6  1.4  10. I  0.3  0.6  225 
Material. 
Oysters . 
Butter . 
Eggs . 
Salt  cod . 
Wheat  flour... 
Corn  meal . 
Beans . 
Potatoes . 
Oatmeal . 
Green  corn.... 
Apples . 
Rye  flour . 
White  bread.. 
Graham  bread 
Soda  crackers. 
Rice . 
String  beans. . . 
Salt  mackerel 
Cabbage . 
Onions . 
There  is  a  chance  for  a  dozen  sermons  in  this  table 
when  studied  in  connection  with  the  following,  which 
gives  the  comparative  amounts  of  food  eaten  by  people 
in  different  countries.  This,  the  daily  food,  is  calculated 
