Question about corn husks & wheat bread

[Johann Van De Leeuw]

Hello all,
I don't know if this is the right place to post this, if not please move to an appropriate location. I wondered if anyone knew of period uses for dried out corn husks, such as dolls, mats, etc., as well as examples of such products.
We have 350 some corn plants a-growing in our garden, and I thought it would be nice to use the actual plant for something.
Also, does anyone know what types of wheat bread were most used in Virginia Regiments, and what were their dimensions?
Your Most Obedient Servant,
~Johann Van De Leeuw

[Becky Morgan]

Re: Question about corn husks & wheat bread

If what I've read and handled means much, whether you would have corn husk items around would depend on your impression. City folk, not so often; farmers, more likely than not. The wealthier the family, the more likely it would be that little girls would be playing with china dolls and other purchased toys. I'd like to know about household items like doormats as well, but even in our rural area I've seen few mentions of them in memoirs. That could mean either of two things: they weren't used, or they were so common that no one bothered to mention them.

Corn husk dolls should be period-correct, but I'll have to do some digging to see when they were first authenticated. They're still a popular craft, of course. I haven't seen many surviving examples, only reminiscences of people who played with such items in their youth; they're fragile when dry and would have been thought of as disposable, in a way, unless a child was especially fond of a certain one. This may or may not help you in any way, but it does hint at how old the craft is:

http://www.snowwowl.com/naartcornhuskdolls.html

Most of the cornstalk horses and cattle I've seen were of uncertain provenance. Those from later years tend to be crudely made and meant for an afternoon play session.

The Delf Norona Museum in Moundsville, WV has some pre-Columbian pottery with corncob and cornhusk imprint decorations. I don't have any dates for cornhusk mats and baskets, although they are certainly very old. The bigger question, as I said above, might be how common they were for the area, kind of family and date you want. I'm finding a lot of references to Iroquois people using cornhusk mats on their beds in the longhouses, but few references to their use by whites except for this in Utah:

http://www.historypreserved.com/draper_text_more.htm

and this, post-period, about Dr. Parrish's asylum:

http://www.artandmedicine.com/biblio/authors/Parrish.html

The Iroquois Museum states that "The US Census (1892:50) notes the sale of cornhusk items was well established at Niagara Falls and Saratoga as early as 1890."

Stalks became impromptu atl-atls at least as early as the 1850s, and likely for many generations before, when the first small boy found that a rock stuck in the slit end of a stalk would go a really long way.

If nothing else, your cornhusks will make beautiful modern-day decorations, so don't discard them.

[WestTN_reb]

Re: Question about corn husks & wheat bread

My grandparents used to use corn husks as cow feed. I don't know if that will work for you or not, but it is something you don't see much now days.

[hiplainsyank]

Re: Question about corn husks & wheat bread

I seem to recall reading somewhere that cornhusks also were used to stuff your matress tick, but I don't know where I read this.

[Johann Van De Leeuw]

Re: Question about corn husks & wheat bread

Thanks y'all! Very helpful.
Ms. Morgan, my impression currently is a private in Co. A, 4th Virginia Inf. If I did a civilian impression, it would be a yeoman farmer, so your info is especially helpful in that respect. Thank you!
Mr. Spain, I don't have any cows currently, though I'd like to! I'll keep that in mind. Thank you!
Mrs. Grimshaw,
That is very helpful, and much appreciated!
Again, thank you all!
Gratefully Yours,
Johann

[Gery Barker]

Re: Question about corn husks & wheat bread

On corn husks, a number of museums, Boonesboro, and the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, TN have corn husk horse and mule collars. I've tried making a couple of these. They don't last long but they work well. My horses have eaten them in the past. Mattress stuffing is very good. We did that at Murphy's landing. I know it is mentioned in one of the Laura Ingals Wilder books. John T. Schlebecker, Whereby We Thrive: A History of American Farming, 1607-1972, Ames: Iowa State University Press; 1975. and Everett Dick, The Dixie Frontier: A Social History of the Southern Frontier from the First Transmontane Beginnings to the Civil War, Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press; 1993. both mention use of corn husks as fodder for cattle, horses and hogs. I have tried this with our little bits and pieces of experimental farming and the beasties keep their weight up on corn husks and shucks. When I was a boy people still used to make corn husk hats and baskets. It isn't that you need to demonstrate any of these, but as a soldier off the farm you might want to talk about it a little. Most folks today have no idea what went into self sufficiency in 19th C. America.

[PetePaolillo]

Re: Question about corn husks & wheat bread



Here is a picture of a corn husk broom at the Historic Arkansas museum...and how to make them.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2330207_make...usk-broom.html
InstructionsThings You'll Need:
Dried corn husks
Sharp knife
Jig saw
12-inch x 7-inch x 1-inch board
Cotton twine
5-foot wooden handle
Glue
Step 1Gather dried corn husks into bundles that are about 2-inches thick. For a 12-inch x 7-inch broom, you will need 18 bundles.

Step 2Grasp the top of each bundle firmly and tie about 1 inch from the top with twine. The tops should be about 1-inch thick after tying them off. The bottom should retain their natural shape.

Step 3Cut one hole on the center of your board to accommodate your handle. After centering your hole, cut nine 1-inch holes in a 3 X 3 pattern on either side of the hole.

Step 4Spread a thin layer of glue inside each 1-inch hole and insert your corn husk bundles. Your ties should be level with the top of the board. Allow the bundles to dry overnight.

Step 5Trim the bottoms of the corn husk bundles to a uniform length with a sharp knife or scissors. Four inches is a good length for both sweeping and mopping.

Step 6Spread a thin layer of glue inside your handle hole and insert your wooden handle. For an historically accurate corn husk broom, use a sturdy tree branch. Allow to dry completely.



and here is a link to corn husk dolls on the NPS site and how to make them.

http://www.nps.gov/timu/forteachers/...sk%20dolls.pdf

http://www.nps.gov/timu/forteachers/cornhusk_dolls.htm

[PetePaolillo]

Re: Question about corn husks & wheat bread

Here are some more uses....A corn husk ball

http://www.lattaplantation.org/kids/toys.shtml

corn husk bottle basket..
http://www.nativetech.org/cornhusk/botlinst.html

Also Corn husks are great to soak and wrap other food items in and cook in or on the fire.

[Drygoods]

Re: Question about corn husks & wheat bread

This may not be a good answer, but something that I recall from my youth and still enjoy today, what about saving the stocks and bundling them? When you harvest your corn, pull the corn out of the husk and leave the rest attatched to the stock, and in the fall cut the stocks close to the ground and bundle them into bunches. Makes for a nice fall decor, and lovely bonfires come November. Now that I live in the city, I have to buy my empty stocks from the local farmers, and pay $1 each, but wouldn't miss them for the world.:p