Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 03.djvu/191

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CORNETO 155 CORN LAWS Is midway between that of the bugle and the trumpet. It is frequently used in orchestras where a trumpet is not ob- tainable, and also in church service in conjunction with the organ. CORNETO, a picturesque, mediseval- looking town of central Italy, 12 miles N. of Civita Vecchia, 3 miles from the Mediterranean. Corneto rose out of the ruins of the Etruscan city of Tarquinii, whose remains, within a mile and a half of Corneto, are among the most impor- tant for the student of Etruscan history. The painted tombs, of which some 20 are specially interesting, were known in the 18th century; but it is mainly since 1842 that they have been examined; valuable new discoveries were made during ex- cavations in 1881-1882. CORN FLOUR, a name applied to the finely ground flour of maize or Indian corn; also known in the United States as corn meal. CORN FLOWER, a well-known com- posite weed of cornfields, universally known and admired for the beauty of its wreath-like circle of outer barren florets, and the splendid deep azure of their hue. It was formerly of some lit- tle medicinal repute, and its blue flowers were used in domestic dyeing; from early times, too, it has been used for decoration in wreaths and garlands. This use became specially prominent in Ger- many after 1870, on account of its being the Emperor William's favorite flower. CORNIFEROUS PERIOD, in geology, the second of the five divisions of the Devonian age, sometimes included with the first under the name of Lower De- vonian. It contains the earliest discov- ered remains of fishes. CORNIMIT, a by-product, obtained in the treatment of fish offal by a secret process originating in Denmark. It is claimed that by this process a high- grade oil and a fertilizer are also pro- duced. Cornimit can be used as an electrical insulating material, and in the manufacture of such articles as combs, door-handles, telep'hone receivers, etc. The material is considered to be a satis- factory substitute for galalith, which is an artificial product make from milk casein. CORN, INDIAN, also known as Maize, a genus of grasses having monoecious flowers; the male flowers forming a loose panicle at the top of the culm ; the female flowers in axillary spikes, inclosed in large, tough spathes, from which only the extremely long styles hang out like tufts of feathers or silken tassels. The Common Indian Corn is generally be- lieved to be a native of the warmer parts of America, where it was cultivated by the aborigines before the discovery by Columbus; but the discovery of grain in ancient houses in Athens have led some to suppose that it is a native also of the East, and from a very early period has been cultivated there, and even that it is the "corn" of Scripture. On this sup- position it is not easy to account for the subsequent neglect of it until after the discovery of America, since which its cul- tivation spread rapidly throughout the Old World. Columbus himself took it to Spain. The principal corn-producing coun- tries of the world are the Argentine Re- public, Canada, Egypt, Italy, Rumania, Russia, the United States, and Uruguay. Prior to the World War Hungary, Rus- sia, and Bulgaria were among the large producers of corn. The production of corn in the United States in the calendar year 1920 was 3,232,367,000 bushels, from 104,601,000 acres. The States hav- ing the largest production were Iowa, Illmois, Nebraska, and Missouri. For table showing the acreage, production, and value of this crop in the United States by States, see Agriculture. CORNING, a city and county-seat of Steuben co., N. Y.; on the Chemung river and several railroads; is widely known for its extensive foundries, glass factories, railroad car works, and the coal mines in its vicinity. Pop. (1910) 13,730; (1920) 15,820. CORNISH DIAMOND, a variety of quartz found in Cornwall, and employed even in the 16th century for personal ornaments. This variety being now scarce, ordinary rock-crystal is often used instead. CORNISH LANGUAGE, a Celtic dia- lect spoken in Cornwall, which died out in the 18th century, though isolated words or terms are still in use, and some fragments of literature are still extant. It is allied to the Welsh and Breton. CORN LAWS, various enactments of the British Parliament. The exporta- tion of corn from England, except in certain cases, was prohibited by 34 Ed- ward III. c. 20, 1361. The law was modified, and, in 1436, exportation was permitted by 15 Henry VI. c. 2, provided the home-price did not exceed 6s. 3d. per quarter. The importation of corn, un- less the pnce of wheat exceeded 6s. 3d. per quarter, was prohibited by Edward IV. c. 2, 1463. The importation of corn was heavily taxed by 22 Charles II. c. 8, 1670, and also by 1 William and Mary, c. 12, 1689. The rapid increase of popu- lation, however, led to successive altera-