While tobacco played a very important part in building a prosperous
colony at Jamestown, there were several other staples that also
contributed to this result. Of prime importance should be rated maize
or Indian Corn. Maize saved the colony from starvation on several
occasions. Maize became an export commodity to the New England and
West Indian colonies when the price for tobacco fell below the cost
of transportation to Europe. Maize aided the colonists in the
production of valuable livestock products. This crop has done more to
promote the wealth and welfare of this country than all the natural
resources, water-power, and forests put together. In order to
increase the production of grain in 1623, the General Assembly
ordered: "For the encouragement of men to plant store of corne, the
prise shall not be stinted but it shall be free for every man to sell
it as deere as he can." This law had a wholesome effect. It so
increased the production of maize that seven years later as has
already been noted, the colonists had a surplus of this product to
export to New England. This is perhaps the first law passed in
America for the direct benefit of the producers. It stands out in
strong contrast to some legislative enactments. There were many other
grain laws put on the statute books but the majority of them either
fixed the maximum price for which the grain could be sold or else
prohibited its exportation. The authorities in England were
continually clamoring for products to supplement the tobacco exports.
Until 1685, each succeeding Governor as he sailed to Virginia was
instructed to "use every means in his power to encourage the
production of silk, wine, hemp, flax, pitch and potashes." The reason
for finally omitting this clause is interesting. The King was
concerned about the revenue the government was deriving from tobacco
and did not wish for the colonists to engage in any enterprise that
might diminish the volume of leaf that was coming to England. The
omission of this clause marked a new era in the relation of the
colony to the Mother Country. During the sixty years the clause was
in force, several Governors, notably Wyatt, Harvey and Berkeley, had
tried to comply with the wishes of the authorities in England, with
extremely meager results to show for their efforts.