GROUND MAIZE MEAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1433, 20 June 1868, Page 6

GROUND MAIZE MEAL.

Wβ publish below the following interesting letter from Dr. Stratford, and a certificate from Dr. Goldsboro, respecting the quality and manufacture of the ground maize meal or Indian corn flour, sold by Messrs. W. J". Hurst and Co., of Queen-street. Gentlemen,—l have io acknowledge the receipt of two samples of your ground maize, or ns- it is called in Amerioa, Indian corn floar and meal. They are certainly in fineness and flavour, equal to any I ever saw in Canada or the United States, and leave nothing to be deeirod in point of manufacture. JB'or the development in this country of a new industry— you deserve the thanks of the community, adding as it does another staple article to the food of the people . —an article which in many parts of the world, con-. stitutes the support of millions of the human race, is a ohiof article of food among the inhabitants of Canada and the United States of America —almost the entire support of tho people of Mexico, Central America, and parts of Alrica. Therefore it has not been properly appreciated in New Zealand, the people (most of them coming from Britain where the maize cannot be grown,) huve not learned to recogniec its utility and importance as an article of food. It they had been used to it as the backwoodsman of America ever has, from the first settlement of that country, they would feel that they were comparatively independent, and would have no fear of starving even in tho mvst remote parts of the country. If they understood the culture of the maize, and knew ito applicabilities, thoy could feed their families i> ithou t difficulty, and could go into the iaterior of this country with little or no capital—not only did it constitute the chief food of tha f*mily of th !>owoodsman, in America, but enabled him to fatten hogs to an unlimited extent, uud helped him to feed hie cattle in winter. It ia really surprising to observe the variety of ways it is cooked and served up in the more settled and civilised parts of that country ; there is scarcely a dish in which it is not a constituent, while ii is remarkable that in tliO3e countries in whioh the people are fed upon it they are particularly strong and hardy. 'What is more, ia a medical point ot view, it is odo of the most fattening articles of food man can feed upon. When eaten as " mash" or " porridge" it prevents ths accumulation of intestinal mucus, the natural envelope of all those parasites, which are novr so frequently complained of in almost every family. Like thd oatmeal, it tends ia the young to iorm a large frame, and conoolidate the muscular tissues—indeed is one of the most healthy articles a family can be fed upon. It is a rocoguized luct that through tho whole extent of thu ourin's aurlaee the kind will produce the food most suitable to the want* of the people who live upon it. In the Tropic we find rice ia die proper food of man ; in colder countries tho cat and tno rye produce the staple articles for consumption. In the same latitudes in which North New Zealand is placed, we lind tho maizo growing to pereeiiou, aii.i ic ii plainly indiu-ited oy Providence that it may be used here with as much benefit and advantage to tho people, a.-, in other countries in which it has been cultivated. The cultivation of the tn;uzi has buen far too much neglectad by the nuiner in New Zealand, unacquainted with its proper culturo and management it wus to bo expected, but certainly for the settlement and advancumuut of the country is to Ibo greatly regratteJ. In till cisea Che land should be well prepared. The grain plhuted four or five in a hill, from threo to tour feet apart, —so as to par-nt them to be hoed two or threa times in tho oeason, :...> earth always being well loosened and piled aro.. I the route. This treatment will not only ensure a crop, but constitutes an excellent preparation lu: - I wheat or other cereils. It is certain also that the return is far greater than of any other kind of grain, for when the ground has been properly prepared, and sufficiently tilled, it 13 rare that less than forty or fifty bushels to the acre has been produced. It is far less eubject to disease than any other of the cerc:ils— neither blight, mildow, or rust affecting it. It is seldom beaten down by rain or wind, and when pruperly managed it is far more certain and proferoble than any crop tha farmer can grow. Hoping that by the excellent preparation of the meal you have accomplished, you will eonrineo the people of tho utility of the maize as a splendid article Of food, and induce tho f.irmer to go moie generally into its production, wliiloit will also indicate to the settler in tho remote districts of this country that it is intended to be his mainstay—then it will s.ive many the disappointments incidonts to their first efforts at farming, and cause far les3 of tho complaint* of the want of success in tho new eettleraoiitu, which is now so frequently heard.—l remain, gentlemen, yours trulv, J. 3. Stratford. Messrs. W. J. Hurst and Co., ftueen-stroet, Auckland. ■ I hereby certify that I have examined two Specimens of Indian corn meal, forwarded by Messrs. Hurst and Co., cf Quoen-s reot. They are excessively well prepaied, and I consider that they will be a great acquisition to the eettler. My children have eaten and greatly enjoyed tho food prepared from the meal, and I have no hesitation in recommending it for the use of families and charitable institutions, aa healthy and nutritious ; and I consider that, as a cheap, wholesome, and ugreeable article of diet, both for children and adults, it is unrivalled.—l am, &c., CItAS. T. GOLDSISKO, iI.D. Auckland, Juno 10, 1868.