The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-19
The History Of Wheat.

AS staple article OF IOOu anu Cohl'
merce wheat has been known from the
earliest ages. 1t is not known to exist
in other than cultivated state. 1t IS
supposed to have originated IN Central
Asia, but recent discoveries have thrown
some doubt on that point. Nj. Fabre,
of France, distinguished naturalist,
made the discovery several years ago
that the Kgilops ovata, a grass OF the
region near the Mediterranean, and of
the west of Asa, becomes Transformed
by cultivation into wheat. The posi-
bility of such a transformation has been
confirmed by subsequent observations
and experiments.
Wheat was chief crop in ancient
Egypt and Palestine, and is more fire.
quently mentioned in Scripture than
any other kind of grain, where its boun-
tiful yield and its important relations to
the sustenance of human life afford a
theme for many beautiful lessons.
The granaries of Egypt and other
centres of ancient civilization were often
of immense size and were CONSPICUOUS
objects among the public editices of the
time Grains of wheat have been found
in the wrappings of Egyptian mummies
termination through the lapse of cen
turtles.
Although the Greeks and more par
ticularly the Spartans, affected to despise
agriculture as degrading pursuit, they
were obliged to devote considerable at
tention to wheat raising as means OF
livelihood. Hesiod, one of the earliest
Greek poets, in his Works and Days, !"
makes frequent mention of wheat.
Among the Romans wheat sing, in
common with other branches of agricul-
tul'e, was prosecuted with vigor and sue
! cess. Roman writers on agriculture give
particular directions in regard to the
cultivation of wheat. 1t is mentioned
by Virgil in his ''Georgics."
| Wheat was early introduced into Great
Britain, but until very recent times its
production was so limited that only the
/ Weather classes could afford to use 1t as
| food Mention is made of the fact that
! in the eighth century the monks Of the
abbey of ST. Edmund, in England, ate
! barley bread because the income OF the
! abbey was not sufficient to admit oftheir
| using wheat. In England down to the
close Of the seventeenth century servants
and other working people were obliged
/ to content themselves with bread made
from the coarser grains. Eden in his
'sIIistory of the Poor" Q79O says: $50
small was the quantity of wheat
used in the county of Cumberland, that
it was only rich family that used peck
of wheat in the course OF the year, and
that was used at Christmas. The usual
treat for stranger was thick oat cake
! Called haycr bannockl and butter. An
old laborer remarks that when he was Il
boy he was at Carlisle market with his
father, and wishing to indulge himself
with a penny loaf made of wheat flour,
he searched for it for some time but
c uld not procure a piece of wheaton
bread at any shop in town"
AT the period of the revolution. in
1859, the quantity of wheat grown in
England was estimated at about IA, Q0O,
900 bushels, Or about three bushels to
each of the population, which was then
under five million. = In 1880 the product
of wheat in England and Scotland was
estimated at 100, 900, 900 bushels. =
In 1880 the area of wheat growing in
the United States was 30, 43O, 333e acres
and the yield was ass, 4S3, 1871 bushels
or thirteen bushels to the acre.. Th,
value of the cropwas estimated at s4S2;
:457, 1913. The increase in production be
tween 1870 and 1 $50 was nearly sixty pc
scent.