ISSUE 84, SOUTHERN LANDRACE & HEIRLOOM CORN, Part 10: Hickory King
Hickory King Dent Corn
Hickory King, a 10-12 row white dent corn with large kernels, narrow cobs, and prolific habit, was the most popular open-pollinated heirloom corn variety in the world during the first two decades of the 21st century. While the corn above bears near resemblence to a central american maize landrace, the locally adapted southern corn that became a market force was seed selected by A. O. Lee of Bartee, Virginia, in the latter half of the 1870s and first offered for sale in 1880. It was named after Hickory Junction, Virginia, where Lee maintained a corn processing and seed distribution warehouse. Here is Lee’s inaugural notice from 1880.
Initially, Hickory King seized farmers attention for the great size of the kernels produced on the ears. Regardless of where they were being grown, the ears set neat rows of huge white kernels of near uniform size. Yet there existed other excellent field corns that produced good sized kernels: Looney, Cocke’s Prolific, Tennessee Red Cob. Several years of growouts revealed the quality that cemented Hickory King’s fame. It could make a good crop on marginal soil. For many of the other white dent corns grown in the South, rich bottom land was needed to produce ears with girth. Not so Hickory King. Upcountry farmers with marginal soil or erosion issues embraced this corn as their own. And to this day, farmers in Africa and South America, celebrate this variety’s ability to flourish in harsh conditions.
I have reproduced the 1888 introduction to the variety in Samuel Wilson’s Catalog reveals the enthusiasm of Pennsylvania seedsmen to the corn. Hickory was unusual in that the amount, density, and quality of starch in the kernels more resembled a flint corn than most flour or meal corns Hickory King’s kernels (the largest of all dents, round, and flat) made it a favorite hominy corn, shine corn, and toasting corn for corn nuts. The taste of Hickory King is among the most agreeable of the non-sweet varieties—a judgment shared in Africa and Europe where the variety was exported in the early 20th century. It is also a judgment shared by animals and fowls in the feed yard, where Hickory King has been devoured avidly since shortly after its introduction. While made older corn varieties passed into disuse because of their modest yield in comparison with post 1950 hybrids, Hickory King has remained in use, and its seed stock maintained on a commercial scale for about 140 year
A final observation: Hickory King has a tight husk. This hinders insect depradation, an additional virtue of the variety. Experienced farmers, however, would be quick to add that the sumptuous flavor of the corn when in the milk stage will draw the entire raccoon population of one’s vicinity, also bears.