MAIZE, or Indian Corn, is a plant manly cultivated in the vamp r.vt.s of ;the' world, where' it answers a pitrpose similar that of wheat in more northern countries. is the Zea Mays of .h.o4pjsts, of ylgorons, grOwth, with stems of not more than two feet, high in some varieties, and reaching the height of eight or even ten feet in others. gacb. grain has a long threadlike style, which pro-! jects beyond the enveloping sheaths ; and as. there are some hundreds of there Anal each spike, the whole form a long tassel, which looks as if made of silk. A plant generally bears two full ears, the grains of which vary, greatly in number : some of the largest ears ! in America contain at least 500 grains.
This plant in its wild state is met with in Paraguay, in Chili, and in North America. The. bread made from maize is not so palatable to some as wheat bread, hut, by mixing it in certain proportions with wheat, it makes A Very pleasant food. In the Oriited ,Stales of North America, Indian corn forms almost the only bread eaten by many of the people; and in the slue states it is the only bread that the negrous ear. Tt is not, honyer, in the shapo qf baked 'bread that maize is inostgenerally used in Europe, but in boiled messes and P,94§ lvlttl Ns 4-ljg14,n1p14, and qIi&NPRP hest. It thrives well nil tand hrok, en pp from
Mtg. TIN time for sowing if! spud} Fronce is FP.POI 1401111, it is gown later. Mien the maize is fully illP•Pars twisted off 17 and laid in a dry place; they f occasionally, that theisliefath play not become Tysly, are then stored 'a dXy The tears are gathered for fodder a short time 14PfPrP qlP are PRIM. TR. e,(1 in Italy mattresses are stuffed with the dry sheath, which makes a cool and elastic bed. Horses, pigs, and poultry arp fond of }maize;it ffiY9a tip qf the 1.a4 ..1w9 peculiarly4C 999 of iTaPPrtalit;useq 9f in ERY9PO is t".9 kf'N'T it Nal': to •)cl • cut green as food for Cows, oxen, and sheep. In a proper climate there is no plant which ! gives so great a mass of green food as maize. The prodnceis and has Since tile FQPPai of tile Corn Laws, in considerable into this country: The importations for the ViSt three years YrCTe as follow_ :— • 1,575,521 qrs.
1619 1,286,264 „ About 2.1,0,p0Q eq.,. of maize-limy were imported in 1848; but the quantities in the net two years were much smaller.