their description that the seeds might be sorghum instead of maize. The absurdity of relying on such isolated clues came out with the discovery that the whole charter of Incisa was a modern fabrication.
The only other evidence of eastern origin that there has been any trouble in demolishing is a picture of an ear of maize together with its ideograph in a Chinese book written some time between 1578 and 1597. Since the Portugese came to China in 1516 and to Java 20 years earlier, it is plain this is not good evidence of Chinese origin. During the half century between this date and the date of the article, nothing could be more probable than Portugese introduction of maize into China. Furthermore, the fullness of early Chinese records is such that they would hardly have remained silent on an important agricultural crop until 1578.
