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Corn, Indian, or Maize, the original name of corn or Zea Mays, a species of the grass family. Corn is said to have become the most important food-plant, next to rice. It is now almost unanimously conceded that it originated in America and is probably native to Mexico. Corn was found in cultivation by the Indians upon the discovery of America, and has continued to be called Indian corn; in fact the name maize is seldom used in America. Although very numerous varieties have been developed, they are all considered to have been derived from a single species. The commonly used classification is as follows: pod-corns, pop-corns, flint-corns, dent-corns, soft-corns, sweet or sugar-corns, starchy sweet-corns. Sweet corn is distinguished from the ordinary field-varieties by its wrinkled or shriveled kernel and its somewhat translucent appearance. The pop-corn is characterized by the excessive development of the horny region of the endosperm and by the very small size of the kernels and ears. Corn is hardly less a staple food than is rice in tropical countries, while in colder countries it is rapidly becoming popular. It is thought to be more nutritious than barley, buckwheat or rye. It is more generally used in America than in other continents. In the United States the annual crop is over 2,700,000,000 bushels, or about two thirds of all the grains grown. When coarsely ground, corn forms hominy; when finely ground, corn-meal. Pop-corn is a variety whose grains, when roasted, swell and burst, turning inside out. However, the greatest use of corn in America, is as a food for cattle, sheep and hogs. Large quantities of starch are made from corn. This is used for food and for laundry-work, while a good part of it is made into grape-sugar or glucose. The dried leaves and stalks of corn furnish a supply of cattle-fodder. The husks are used for packing and for mattresses; while in South America they are also used for cigarettes. The cobs make popular pipe-bowls for tobacco. Corn was introduced into Europe by Columbus; but there is good ground for believing that the maize plant was known in Asia and Africa before that time.
Corn-Harvester. Among the many labor-saving machines which have so greatly aided modern agriculture is that known as the corn-harvester. One type of these machines cuts the corn and binds the stalks in bundles ready for shocking. Another type cuts and shocks the corn without binding it into bundles. With the use of one of these machines a single man with a team may easily cut eight or ten acres of corn in a day, doing the work of four to eight men by former hand-methods. The illustration shows the cutting mechanism of one of these machines. The edges of the side-knives are at an angle to the line of draft, and as the machine advances the knives move with a shear-cut against the corn-stalks, severing them. They are then carried away by a conveyor and bound in bundles.
CUTTING MECHANISM OF CORN-HARVESTER
Corneille (kō̇r′nāl′), Pierre, the greatest French tragedian and the founder of French comedy, was born at Rouen, June 6, 1606. His ill-success as a lawyer sent him to Paris in 1629, where his first comedy was produced and acted in two theaters at the same time. In 1636 The Cid, his most popular tragedy, took Paris by storm, and in spite of Richelieu, a personal enemy of the author, and in spite also of the Academy, his creature, could not be suppressed; and soon “fine as the Cid” became a common saying. Le Menteur showed the author to be great in comedy as well as in tragedy. Polyeucte and Rodogune are others of his best works; while the finest verses he wrote occur in the central love-scene of Psyche. Horace and Cinna are also favorite productions of Corneille. Strength and sublimity are his chief characteristics.
Corne′lia. See Gracchi.
Corne′lius, Peter von, one of the first masters of the modern German school of painting, was born at Düsseldorf, Sept. 23. 1783. When but 19 years old, he
