It is remark’d in North America, that the English Farmers when they first arrive there, finding a Soil and Climate proper for the Husbandry they have been accustomed to, and particularly suitable for raising Wheat, they despise and neglect the Culture of Mayz: But observing the Advantage it affords to their Neighbours the older Inhabitants, they by degrees get more and more into the Practice of Raising it; and the Face of the Country shows from time to time, that the Culture of that Grain goes on visibly augmenting.

The Inducements are, the many different Ways in which it may be prepared so as to afford a wholesome and pleasing Nourishment to Men and other Animals. 1. The Family can begin to make use of it before the time of full Harvest; for the tender green Ears stript of their Leaves and roasted by a quick Fire till the Grain is brown, and eaten with a little Salt or Butter, are a Delicacy. 2. When the Grain is riper and harder, the Ears boil’d in their Leaves, and eaten with Butter are also good and agreable Food. The green tender Grains dried, may be kept all the Year, and mix’d with green Haricots also dried, make at any time a pleasing Dish, being first soak’d some hours in Water and then boiled. When the Grain is ripe and hard, there are also several Ways of using it. One is to soak it all Night in a Lessive, and then pound it in a large wooden Mortar with a wooden Pestle; the Skin of each Grain is by this means stript off, and the farinaceous part left whole, which being boil’d swells out into a white soft Pulp, and eaten with Milk, or with Butter and Sugar, is delicious. The dry Grain is also sometimes ground loosely, so as to be broke into Pieces of the Size of Rice, and being winnow’d to separate the Bran, it is then boil’d and eaten with Turkies or other Fowls, as Rice. Ground into a finer Meal, they make of it by Boiling a Hasty pudding or Bouilli, to be eaten with Milk, or with Butter and Sugar; this resembles what the Indians call Polenta. They make of the same Meal with Water and Salt, a hasty Cake which being stuck against a Hoe or any flat Iron, is plac’d erect before the Fire, and so baked, to be used as Bread. Broth is also equally thicken’d with the same Meal. They also parch it in this manner. An Iron Pot is fill’d with Sand and set on the Fire till the Sand is very hot. Two or three Pounds of the Grain are then thrown in and well mix’d with the Sand by stirring. Each Grain bursts, and throws out a white Substance of twice its bigness. The Sand is separated by a Wire Sieve, and return’d into the Pot, to be again heated and repeat the Operation with fresh Grain. That which is parch’d is pounded to a Powder in Mortars. This being sifted will deep long fit for Use. An Indian will travel far, and subsist long on a small Bag of it, taking only 6 or 8 Ounces of it per day, mix’d with Water. The Flour of Mayz mix’d with that of Wheat, makes excellent Bread, sweeter and more agreable than that of Wheat alone. To feed Horses it is good to soak the Grain 12 Hours; they mask it easier with their Teeth, and it yields them more Nourrishment. The Leaves, stript off the Stalks after the Grain is ripe, and ty’d up in Bundles when dry, are excellent Forage for Horses, Cows, &c. The Stalks press’d like Sugar Canes, yield a sweet Juice, which being fermented and distill’d yields an excellent Spirit; boild without Fermentation it affords a pleasant Syrop. In Mexico, Fields are sown with it thick, that multitudes of small Stalks may arise, which being cut from time to time like Asparagus, are serv’d in Deserts, and their sweet Juice extracted in the Mouth, by chewing them. The Meal wet is excellent Food for young Chickens, and the whole Grain for grown Fowls.