A family of German’s came to Quiet Valley. Before Europeans came, the Indians had been growing corn for many years. To Europeans, corn meant all grains. They had never seen the plant we call corn. Indians taught the settlers how to grow corn and what it was used for.

Corn quickly became a major crop for humans and animals. Corn was developed from a grass that was grown in Mexico, over a period of many years. By the time Europeans arrived, there were distinct types of corn. Indian corn is multicolored; a type of flint corn and makes cornmeal but it is an unpleasant color. A flint corn has 8 rows of grains, has a white cob and makes excellent cornmeal. Dent corn was developed after 1850. It is left in the fields until it is dry. When it is dried each kernel forms a small dent. It makes fine corn meal and animal food. We have grown all of these kinds at Quiet Valley over the years. Now we grow dent corn and sweet corn. We also grow some broomcorn. It looks like other corn until it tassels. It grows very tall and the seeds grow on the tassels. The tassel is what you make the sweeping part of the broom from. Broomcorn is actually sorghum.

Corn is planted in early May in hills that are about 2 feet around. A corn planter is used to do this. Then a hoe is used to pull the soil up into a hill. The Indians grew the three sisters. This means that planted in the hill with the corn, were bean seeds to grow up the corn stalks. Also squash seeds were planted to vine out under the corn so that you didn’t need to weed. Corn has to be cultivated during the growing season. Field corn was one of the last things to be harvested in late October. They generally produce about 50 bushels per acre.

Harvesting
Sheller: A machine used to take kernels off the cob.
Fodder cutter: A machine used to cut the corn stalks into more manageable pieces for the animal fodder (food).
Corn cracker: A machine used to break the kernels of corn into smaller pieces for the chickens and animals.
Corn mill: a place to take the corn to be ground into meal
Corn Crib: A building used to store corn in. It has sides that slant in from top to bottom to keep the rain from going in. It also has slats so that the corn can continue to dry.

Uses
Corn bread
Mush: Corn meal cooked into a cereal. Often eaten at supper.
Corn husk dolls: Made from the husks
Corn husk Mats: Used to wipe your feet on or as a prayer mat.
Feed: Cracked corn for the animals
Fodder: The leaves and stalks used for animal food.
Corn Meal: Corn flour
Cobs: Used in outhouses and in the smokehouse to smoke meats.

Corn Planter: The little box on this tool is filled with the corn seed. You squeeze the tool together, press the sharp end into the ground and pull the tool apart. This causes the seed to fall into the hole. Some planters have several places to put different kinds of seeds. That way you can plant the 3 sisters ( corn, beans and squash) together.
Hoe: used for hilling the soil around the corn planting and cultivating the weeds away.

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