Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-01-20
S}listellameuns &eadiua.
A SHORT HISTORY OF WHEAT.

The varieties of wheat are almost number
less, and their characters vary widely under
the influence of cultivation and climate.
There are said to be 180 distinct varieties in
the museum of Cornell University. On the
slopes of the mountains of Mexico and kalapa
the luxuriance of vegetation is such that
wheat does not form ears In Japan, it is
said, the wheat has been 50 developed by the
Japanese farmers, that no matter how much
manure is used, the straw will not grow larger
though the length of the ears increases. The
height is rare Y more than two feet, and often
not more than twenty inches. Through Sc
lection, winter wheat has been changed to
summer wheat in three years, and summer
wheat converted in the same time to winter
wheat. In general, wheat is the most es-
teemed of the cereal productions, hut in
Ahysinia, according to Parkyns, the -four Of
the "teff" or "dugassa." scarcely palatable to
Europeans, is preferred BY the natives to any
other grain.
Isis was supposed to have introduced wheat
into Egypt, Demeter into Greece, and the
Emperor Chin Wong into China, about 5000
B. G. In Europe it was cultivated before the
period of history, as samples have been recov'
cred from the lacustrine dwellings of Switzer.
land. In England it was probably not cult
waited by the ancient Britons, but the Anglo
Saxons, when Bede wrote, early in the eighth
century, sowed their wheat in the spring, and
in the days of Queen Elizabeth its cultiva
ton was but partial. Indeed, wheat was an
article of comparative luxury till nearly the
seventeenth century. In India wheat seems
not to be native, but introducers Of it's Sans
crit name signifies food Of the barbarian; :
vet three varieties are mentioned in the
Bhavaprakassa, one of which is large grained
is said to have come from the West, and an
other, small grained or beardless wheat, Ii
said to have been indigenous to Middle In
dia.
The first wheat raised in the New w orld'
was sown by Spaniards on the island of lisa
bella, in January, 1893, and on March 81
the ears were gathered. The foundation o.
the wheat harvest of Mexico is said to have
been three or four grains carefully cultivated
in 1880, and preserved by q slave of Cortez
The crop of Quito was raised by Franciscan
monk, in front of the convent. Garcilasst
| Q6 Id feTSd dluFuS IudI III olu, y w A'f'
wheaton bread had not been sold at Cusco
Wheat was first sown by Gosnold, on Guilty
hunk, one of the Elizabeth Islands on Buz
zard bay, off Massachusetts, in 1902, when hi
first explored the coast. In 1904, on the isl
and of St. Croix, near Calais, Maine, the Sieu
de Monts had some wheat sown, which flour
ished finely. In 1911, the first wheat appear r
to have been sown in Virginia. In 1926
samples of wheat grown in the Dutch colon.
at New Netherlands, were shown in Holland
1t is probable that wheat was sown in th'
Plymouth Colony prior to 1926, though wi
find no record Of it, and in 1929 wheat wa
ordered from England to he used as seed
In 17lS wheat was introduced into the valle.
1~of the Mississippi, by the western Compa
n.y." In 1899 it was among the cultivated
crops of the Simos Indians of the Celia river
New Mexico.-MiLer's Magazine.