The Corn Maze, Pumpkin Patch, And Other Rustic Joys

Corn mazes, along with family-friendly entertainments such as hay rides, petting zoos, and orchards where visitors can pick their own fruit, have become popular activities offered by small and medium-farms to increase their profits in the face of larger competitors. The corn maze and pumpkin patch are some of the most attractive features of a farm for children. While the origins of the pumpkin patch are obvious (pumpkins were grown as food, before they became a tradition of American Halloween), those of the corn maze are less so. Did the corn maze, at one point, have a practical utility, in the same way as the pumpkin patch?

Maze Of Shrubs, Maze of Maize

The answer to the above question is, strictly speaking, no. Growing corn (or "maize," as it is called outside of the United States), of course, has always had, and still has, immense practical utility in itself. However, the practice of planting a field of corn to make a navigable "maze" actually evolved from an older leisure pursuit, practiced by European nobility before what America considers "corn" had even been discovered (in Europe at the time, the "corn" was a generic word for many kinds of grains, especially "wheat").

In Early-Modern Europe, it became a popular fad among the wealthy to plant formal gardens into patterns of geometric perfection. This practice evolved into making elaborate labyrinths out of shrubs that were taller than a human head, so that strollers became pleasantly disoriented in a surreal "garden" of pure geometry. By the 19th century, these strange mazes had so captured the popular imagination that public planners began to reproduce them in public parks. Thus, the practice of the outdoor organic "maze" was born.

The American Farm And The Corn Maze

Pumpkin patch visitors today are often delighted and surprised to see a field of head-high corn nearby, with an inviting "entrance" in the middle beckoning passers-by to enter. The idea of replicating European garden mazes with corn must have occurred naturally to American maize growers, simply because the plant was so plentiful, so tall, and so easy to grow. Many 19th century farmers must have gotten unintentionally disoriented, at least for a few moments, while walking in a field of corn and unable to see over the tall plants.

Today, corn mazes are designed to grown into elaborate shapes, somewhat different in nature from the garden mazes of old. Some corn mazes, for example, are made to resemble famous cartoon characters from overhead. Some feature props, and a pre-determined path for maze visitors to follow. Some farm owners try to attract visitors by building corn mazes of unusual size. For example, one farm in Dixon, CA features a corn maze and pumpkin patch. The corn maze at this farm takes up an entire 40 acres of land. As of 2009, it is the biggest corn maze in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.