Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-08-18
wheat.-Its Origin.

Picking up back number OF Nortnern
Magazine, on Saturday, our attention was
directed TO an article entitled "Wheat and
Its Associations" which upon perusal, prov
ed to be exceedingly Interesting, and well
worthy of a reprint 10 our columns. Its
length, however, prevents its publication en-
tire, SO we must content ourselves with q
brief compendium. No cereal now grown
N Virginia or North Carolina, occupies
larger share of public attention, and We pre-
sume no topic could be introduced which
will be more likely to enlist the attention
alike of planter and merchant. The article
before US traces the history of wheat from
the earliest known records down to the pre-
sent time. It's supposed original is found In
a wild grass growing on the shores OF the
Mediterranean: it is then traced TO the Per-
sian proyince of Mazenderon, Northern To-
da, in the country of the Musicians to Meso-
potumia, and to the prairies of Texas. We
have ia the Magazine a sample plate OF the
Egyptian wheat, f0und in mummy OF the
Pyramids, family circle gathered around
the home baked loaf, an ancient granary OF
the time of the Pharoabs, a figure OF the
Golden Ceres, sample plate of the various
kinds of wheat, two pictures of the harvest
iield, onc with the reapers at work, and the
other With the gathered sheaves, the old mill,
Roaz and Ruth, and lastly q sample OF
blighted wheat The article gives the poetry
and prose of the history, the qualities OF the
different species, the mode OF cultivation,
Sc.. s., Of this indispensable grain. The
Greeks, it is stated, claimed to be the inVen-
tors Of bread. though dependent upon Egypt
70; the whea:; and Humbolds says that ne
gro SLAVE OF Fernando Cortez, was the first
Who cultivated wheat in New Spain or the
New World. The following are the great
grain ports or repositories OF the world, &C
cording to the article, in the order of impor-
lance: Buffalo, Chicago, Arehangel, Gala
taz. Ibraia, ST. Petersburgh, Odessa, Dant-
zic, Riga--the two ports of America leading
all the world.
The highest price that -four has reached
during a period of sixty years, lie said to
have been in l776, when it cold at $40 per
barrel. 1t may be worthy of remark here,
that tie writer of this knew flour to be sold
in this city, in 1855, he thinks, at Sl5 per
barrel 10 1917. it was quoted at Sl4. 10
1917, the period OF the Irish famine, -four
never exceeded SO. The prices of bread.
s.ufs were higher in 1855 than for sixty
wears, if we except the seasons Of l77G and
1877. From the minutes kept at the Office
of the Van Rensselaer, Mansion at Albany,
for sixtyone years, where large amounts OF
rents are payable ia wheat or cash equlva-
lent, on the let Of January Of each year, we
learn that wheat has only five times been -
or upward bushcl, while it was seventeen
times at 81, and twice at 10 cts. The aver
age price for the whole period was 81 So,
and for the last thirty years 81 %.
The idea that m0neyed men can command
the price Of breads.utfs, receives its quietus
in tie following paragraph :-IsterSburg Er-
press.
Fluctuations in the price of flour are as
cribed TO specuatiOns by capitalists. That
moneyed men may affect locality for few
days is possible, but no combination Of all
the bankers in existence can command the
price of breadstuffs. The world consumes
eight thousand millions of bushels of grain
of some kind every year, aud the cost is
about four thousand millions CT dollars
What we shall give for this important neces-
sity for the preservation Of our race, is hid
den among the mysteries of nature, depends
upon the machinery OF the seasons, upon the
will Of God. 10 the deep caverns Of the
North he prepares the boar frosts which kill
the roots; from the evanescent clouds come
the rain and the dews which rust the stalks;
the rays OF His sun wilt up the terminating
dover; and from Him comes also those Sc
cret influences which ripen the crops and
spread them upon the ground, in every quail.
ity Of real wealth more valuable than gold"