William Duffield
These are not manufactured from maize (Zea mays), which is the corn you eat, feed to cows and pour into your gas tank. It is sorghum, (Sorghum vulgare var. technicum) and is found in whisk brooms as well as in the pages of Roubo. A lot of it is grown in France, and was introduced to the U.S. by Benjamin Franklin, presumably discovered while he was ambassador to France.