The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-04-03
The History Of Wheat.

As staple article of food and COM
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. M.
Fabre, OF France, distinguished nat
uralist, made the discovery several
years ago that the Egilops ovata, a
grass of the region near the
Mediterranean, and of the west of Asia,
becomes transformed by cultivation
into wheat. The possibility of such
a transformation has been confirmed
by subsequent observations and expert
ments
Wheat was chief crop in ancient
Egypt and Palestine, and is more fre-
quently mentioned in Scripture than
any other kind of grain, where its
bountiful yield and its important rela-
tions to the sustenance Of human life
afford theme for many beautiful les.
sons.
The graneries of Egypt and other
centres Of ancient civilization were
often of immense size aud were conspi.
cuous objects among the public edfices
of the time. Grains of wheat have been
found in the wrappings of Egyptian
mummies which had retained their
power of termination through the lapse
of centuries.
Although the Greeks, and more par.
ticularly the Spartans, affected to de-
spise agriculture as degrading pur-
suit, they were obliged to devote con.
siderable attention to wheat raising as
means of livlihood. Hesiod, one of
the earliest Greek poets, in his "Works
and Days." makes frequent mention of
wheat. Among the Romans wheat
raising, in common with other branches
of agriculture, was prosecuted with
vigor and success. Roman writers on
agriculture give particular directions
in regard to the cultivation of wheat.
1t is mentioned by Virgil in his "Geor-
gics."
Wheat was early introduced into
Grea- Britain, but until very recent
times its production was so limited that
only the weather. classes could afford
to use 1t as food. Mention 10 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 Of their using wheat In Eng
land down to the close of the seven
teenth century servants and other work
ing people were obliged to content
themselves with bread made from the
coarser grains. Eden in his "History
of the Poor" Q797) says: $50 small
was the quantity of wheat used in the
country 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 haver bannock) and butter
An old laborer remarks that when he
was boy he was at Carlisle market
with his father, and wishing to indulge
himself with penny loaf made OF
wheat -four, he searched for it for some
time but could not procure piece
of wheaton bread at any shop in
town.
At the period of the revolution in
1889, the quantity of wheat grown in
England was estimated at about H..
100000 bushels, or about three bushels
to each of the population, which wa'
then under five million. In 1880 the
product Of wheat in England and Scot
land was estimated at 100,0O0,OO(
bushels.
In 1880 the area OF wheat growing il
the United States was 35,430,333 acres
and the yield was Ass, 9,4S3,1 bushels
or thirteen bushels to the acre. The
value of the crop was estimated a,
$482,457,293. The increase in produc
ton between 1870 ard 1880 was nearly
sixty per cent.