2 Field Museum of Natural History 



sidered to coincide approximately with the location of 

 a probable early center of dispersion of the human 

 race in the old world. This is generally placed in 

 central Asia, perhaps somewhat to the westward, 

 about the region of eastern Turkestan where climatic 

 conditions in the time of primitive man are likely to 

 have been more favorable than they are now. 



Some primitive wheats are still grown to an ex- 

 tent in Southern Europe. These are Einkorn, Em- 

 mer and Spelt. They are stamped as primitive by 

 certain characteristics which they share with the wild 

 grasses of the genus Triticum (an old Latin name for 

 wheat) to which they belong. Like these they have a 

 fragile, articulated head which breaks into segments 

 on threshing, and their mature grain refuses to sepa- 

 rate readily from its envelopes. In the other culti- 

 vated wheats the axis of the head is stout and not 

 articulated, resisting breakage, while the ripe grain 

 comes away easily and clean. 



In the illustration, Nos. 1, 2, and 3 represent wild 

 grasses related to wheat. Nos. 4, 5, and 6 are the 

 primitive cultivated wheats. 



No. 4. Einkorn, one-grained wheat, is so called 

 because it has a single seed in each division (little 

 spike or "spikelet") of the head. It yields a scanty 

 crop but will grow in stony ground and is still culti- 

 vated to a small extent in mountainous South Europ- 

 ean regions — notably in Spain. It has been found in 

 the remains of the lake dwellers of the stone age. The 

 wild form still grows in Southeastern Europe — e. g. 

 in Serbia. 



No. 5. Emmer, also known as starch wheat or two- 

 grained spelt, is another bristly or awned form with a 

 flattened head. It exists in many varieties. It was 

 cultivated by the ancient Babylonians, Egyptians, 



[13] 



