Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1885-03-06
The History Of Wheat.

AS a staple article Of food and COM
merce wheat has been known from the
earliest ages. 1t is not known to eX-
isti other than cultivated state. 1t
is not known to exist in other than a
cultivated state. 1t il supposed to
have originated in Central Asia, but
recent discoveries have thrown some
doubt on that point. NJ. Fabre, of
France, a distinguished naturalist,
made the discovery several years ago
the -Egil0ps O5ata, a grass of the re-
gion near the Mediterranean, and of
the west of Asia, becomes transformed
by cultivation into what. The posi-
bilitv of such a transformation has
been confirmed by subsequent obser-
vahons 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
bountiful yield and its important re,
lations 10 the susteuance of human
life affords a theme for many beautiful
lessons.
The granaries of Egypt and other
centres of ancient civilization were
often of immense size and were con-
spicuous objects among the public ed
ifices OF the time. Grains of wheat
have been found in the wrappings of
| Egyptian mummies which had retain
ed their power of termination through
The lapse otcenturies.
Although the Greeks, and more
particularly the Spartans affected to
despise agriculture as a degrading
pursuit they were obliged to devote
considerable attention to wheat raising
as a means of livelihood. Hesiod,
one of the earliest Greek poets, In his
Works and Days" makes frequen.
mention of wheat. Among the Ro-
mans wheat-raising, 10 common with
other branches of agriculture was pro-
secuted with vigor and success. Ro-
man writers on agriculture give partic-
ular directions IN regard to the cult
walton of wheat. 1t is mentioned by
Virgil in his Georges"
Wheat was early introduced into
Great Britain, but until very recent
times its production was so limited
that only the wealthiest classes could
afford to use it 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 abby was
not sufficient to admit of their 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 grams in his History
of the Poor" (1797) says: $50 small
was the quantity of wheat used IN the
county OF Cumberland, that it was only
a rich family that used a peck Of wheat
IN the course OF the year, and that was
used at Christmas. The usual treat
for stranger was a thick oa.. cake
| called haver-bannock) and butter
An old labourer remarks that when he
was boy he was at Carlisle market
with his father and wishing to indulge
himself with penny loaf made oil
wheat flour, he searched for 1t for
some time but could not procure a
piece of wheaton bread at any shop
in town"
At the period Of the Revolution in
1850, the quantity of wheat grown in
England was estimated at about Ia
900, 900 bushels, or about three bush.
els to each of the population. which
was then under five million. In 1880
the products of wheat in England and
Scotland was estimated at 100. DOC, 900
bushels.
In 1880 the area of wheat growing
in the United States was ,5,4so,s3S
acres and the yield was 5o,4Ss,I37
bushels to the acre. The value of the
crop was estimated at $4S2,557,2o3.
The increase in production between
1870 and 1880 was nearly sixty per
cent.-Ey.