POSSIBILITIES OF ECONOMIC BOTANY. 67 



difficulty of harvesting these grains, which fall too easily when 

 they are ripe, they might be utilized. But attentive search might 

 find or educe some variety of Zizania with a more persistent 

 grain and a better yield. There are two of our sea-shore grasses 

 which have excellent grains, but are of small yield. "Why are not 

 these, or better ones which might be suggested by observation, 

 taken in hand ? 



The reason is plain. We are all content to move along in lines 

 of least resistance, and are disinclined to make a fresh start. It 

 is merely leaving well enough alone, and, so far as the cereals are 

 concerned, it is indeed well enough. The generous grains of 

 modern varieties of wheat and barley compared with the well- 

 preserved charred vestiges found in Greece by Schliemann,* and 

 in the lake-dwellings,t are satisfactory in every respect. Im- 

 provements, however, are making in many directions ; and in the 

 cereals we now have we possess far better and more satisfactory 

 material for further improvement, both in quality and as regards 

 range of distribution, than we could reasonably hope to have 

 from other grasses. 



From the cereals we may turn to the interesting groups of 

 plants comprised under the general term 



II. Vegetables. — Under this term it will be convenient for 

 us to include all plants which are employed for culinary purj)oses, 

 or for table use, such as salads and relishes. 



The potato and sweet potato, the pumpkin and squash, the 

 red or capsicum peppers, and the tomato, are of American 

 origin. 



All the others are, most probably, natives of the Old World. 

 Only one plant coming in this class has been derived from south- 

 ern Australasia, namely, New Zealand spinach {Tetragonia) . 



Among the vegetables and salad-plants longest in cultivation 



* Schliemann's carbonized specimens exhumed in Greece are said to be " very hard, 

 fine-grained, sharp, very flat on grooved side, different from any wheats now known." 

 American Antiquities, 1880, p. 66. The carbonized grains in the Pcabody Museum at 

 Cambridge, Mass., are small. 



■)• Prehistoric Times as illustrated by Ancient Remains and the Manners and Customs 

 of Modern Savages. By John Lubbock, Bart. New York, fourth edition, 1886. " Three 

 varieties of wheat were cultivated by the lake-dwellers, who also possessed two kinds of 

 barley and two of millet. Of these the most ancient and most important were the six- 

 rowed barley and small " lake-dwellers' " wheat. The discovery of Egyptian wheat 

 {Triticum turgidum), at Wangcn and Robenhausen, is particularly interesting. Oats were 

 cultivated during the bronze age, but are absent from all the stone age villages. Rye was 

 also unknown " (p. 216). "Wheat is most common, having been discovered at Merlen, 

 Moosseedorf, and Wangen. At the latter place, indeed, many bushels of it were found, 

 the grains being in large, thick lumps. In other cases the grains are free, and without 

 chaff, resembling our present wheat in size and form, while more rarely they are still 

 in the ear." One hundred and fifteen species of plants have been identified (Ileer, 

 Keller). 



