History of Corn

History of Corn
Corn (Zea mays L.) is native to the Americas and is their most important cereal crop.

Corn originated in Mexico, evolving form the wild grass Teosinte (Zea mays sp. mexicana).

Archeology evidence indicates that corn was domesticated and grown as a crop by native American as early as 5,000 B.C in Mexico’s valley of Tehuacan.

Corn becomes symbol of religion and prosperity in The Mayan civilization.

From this center corn spread northward to Canada and southward to Argentina.

Among the discoveries made by the explorer Christopher Columbus during his visit to the New World in 1492 was this staple food of the native Americans, known to them as “mahyz.”

Corn is is still universally known as maize from the early Spanish translation.

Maize was not popular known as corn until the American colonists applied this British term for grain.

Following Columbus’s discovery, corn was transplanted to Spain from where it quickly spread across Europe and to Africa and Asia.

Corn played an important role in the colonization and settling of United States.

The native Americans taught the colonists how to convert the grain into food and livestock feed.

Bread made from corn quickly became staple foods in the American colonies and other foods, such as mush, porridge and breakfast grits, were important to pioneers migrating west.

Early improvement in corn as accomplished by farmers selecting seed from the hardiest and most productive plants in their open pollinated fields.

However, in the early 1800s two predominant races of corn – Virginia Gourdseed and Northeastern Flints – grown in the eastern seaboard states were cross, demonstrating the superiority of hybrid corn.

This cross was repeated many times as settlers migrated west, and from these lines the Corn Belt Dents emerged.

Corn Belt Dents have been steadily improved to become the most productive race of corn in the world – indeed, the most productive cereal crop in the world.
History of Corn