The History Of Corn

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By: Brenda Miller-Sanford, Education & Computer Co-ordinator, Ontario Corn Producers’ Association

Corn … One of Three Sisters

Corn, squash and beans were once known as the “Three Sisters” by our native peoples - sisters who should never be apart - sisters who should be planted together. These three plants were important sources of food. In fact, corn was very important to the survival of the first English colonists during their first winters in North-eastern America. The survival of the early colonists depended on what corn they could beg, borrow or steal from the native peoples plus what they were able to grow under their guidance.

It is believed that corn dates back even further than the inhabitance of native people. Corn’s origin is believed to be in the Mexican plateau or the highlands of Guatemala. Fossil pollen grains of corn have been found in drill cores of lake sediment beneath Mexico City. These sediments could be 80,000 years old or more.

Corn belongs to the grass family. Theory suggests that at one time, each individual kernel was covered by its own floral parts similar to the kernels of oats and barley, and that the cob readily broke down into small segments. It is believed that this has allowed corn as a species to survive. The husk and cob as we know them today were gradually developed from wild varieties by the native population.

When Jacques Cartier visited the village of Hochelaga (now Montreal) in 1535, he noted the extensive corn fields growing in all directions. There are records of Champlain finding corn growing in the area of Georgian Bay in 1615. Archeological studies have found that corn was grown near Campbellville, Ontario before 1200 AD.

Native groups developed the major classes of corn that we recognize today. The types being sweet, popping, flint, flour and dent corns.

Flint corn tends to have a larger grain with relatively little flour tissue in the endosperm.
Flour corn is soft, floury and breaks apart readily.
Dent corn is a cross between flint and flour corn. Characteristics of dent corn include:

a floury portion in the middle of the endosperm and extending upward and widening over the grain, and
a corneous part that extends around the middle of the endosperm
Shrinkage of the floury part plus the non-shrinkage of the corneous part produces the characteristic dent of the dent corn. It can be used for the purpose of making bread or used for wet grinding or for making hominy

Dent corn usually produces higher grain yields and to this day dominates production in North America and much of the rest of the world.

From its original use as a food for man, corn now yields over one hundred by-products to industry. A few of the by-products are dyes, paints, oilcloth, oil for soaps, syrups, starches, size and glaze, corn gum (used as a rubber substitute), vegetable substitutes for lard and butter, corn cellulose in press boards and insulating materials and various chemicals.

The livestock industry continues to be the largest user of corn grown. In Ontario, approximately 60% of the crop harvested is fed to livestock. Approximately 30% is used for industrial and commercial uses which leaves about 10% for the export market.

Research continue to find new uses for corn. Environmentally friendly products are one such area. Corn as a renewable resource can be beneficial in making products such as ethanol fuel, ethanol windshield washer fluid, CMA (calcium magnesium acetate) road de-icer, and other degradable products made from corn starch.

Corn is as important today to mankind as it was in the beginning to native peoples. According to Indian legend, corn was of divine origin - “it was the food of the gods that created the earth.”

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