The
History of Corn
Europeans did not
grow corn before the discovery of America in 1942.
It is believed that
the Indians of Mexico grew corn thousands of years ago. When the
tribes migrated to North America, they brought the corn with
them. They cultivated corn, before the first pioneers arrived.
The Indians taught
the pioneers how to grow this versatile vegetable. They planted
many different colours, including yellow, red, blue, pink and
black kernels; even banded, striped and spotted. The pioneers
began to depend on corn as one of their most important crops.
Corn is good for
feeding hogs, cattle and other livestock. Starch was the main
corn product during the early 1900’s but today, corn is used for
thousands of products. More uses are found daily. All the parts
of the corn kernel are used, including the water in which it is
processed. Baby foods, condensed milk, fruit juices and peanut
butter are only a few examples.