112 



GRAMINACE^. 



[Endogens. 



(Convolvulus batatas), the root of which, and the fruit of the pisang (Banana Musa), 



furnish universal articles of food. In the same 

 zone, in Africa, doura (sorghum), pisang, 

 manihot, yams, and Arachis hypogeea. In 

 the East Indies, and on the Indian Islands, 

 Eleusine coracana, E. stricta, Panicum fru- 

 mentaceum ; several palms and Cycadeae, 

 which produce the -sago ; pisang, yams, ba- 

 tatas, and the breadfruit (Artocarpus incisa). 

 In the islands of the South Sea, grain of every 

 kind disappears, its place being supphed by 

 the bread-fruit tree, the pisang, and tacca 

 puinatifida. In the tropical parts of New Hol- 

 land there is no agricultvire, the inhabitants 

 hving on the produce of the sago, of various 

 palms, and some species of Arum. In the 

 high lands of South America there is a distri- 

 bution similar to that of the degrees of latitude. 

 Maize, indeed, grows to the height of 7200 

 feet above the level of the sea, but only pre- 

 dommates between 3000 and 6000 of elevation. 

 Below 3000 feet it is associated with the pi- 

 sang, and the above-mentioned vegetables; 

 while, from 6000 to 9260 feet, the European 

 grains aboimd : wheat in the lower regions, and 

 rye and barley in the higher ; along with which 

 Chenopodium Quinoa, as a nutritious plant, 

 must also be enumerated. Potatoes alone are 

 cultivated from 9260 to 12,300 feet. To the 

 south of the tropic of Capricorn, wherever 

 agricultui'e is practised, considerable resem- 

 blance with the northern temperate zone may 

 be observed. In the southern parts of Brazil, 

 in Buenos Ayres, in Chile, at the Cape of Good 

 Hope, and in the temperate zone of New Hol- 

 land, wheat predominates ; bai*ley, however, 

 and rye, make theu* appearance in the south- 

 ernmost parts of these countries, and in Van 

 Diemen's Land. In New Zealand the culture 

 of wheat is said to have been tried with suc- 

 cess ; but the inhabitants avail themselves of 

 the Acrostichum furcatum as the main article 

 of sustenance. Hence it appears, that, in 

 respect of the predominating kinds of grain, 

 the earth may be divided mto five grand divi- 

 sions, or kingdoms. The kmgdom of rice, of 

 maize, of wheat, of rye, and lastly of barley 

 and oats. The first three are the most exten- 

 sive ; the maize has the greatest range of 

 temperature ; but rice may be said to support 

 the greatest number of the human race.". 



It is a very remarkable circumstance, that 

 the native country of wheat, oats, barley, 

 and rye, should be entirely unknown ; for 

 although oats and barley were found by 

 Col. Chesney apparently wild on the banks of 

 the Euphrates, it is doubtful whether they were 

 not the remains of cultivation. This has led 

 to an opmion, on the part of some persons, 

 that all our cereal plants are artificial produc- 

 tions, obtained accidentally, but re taming their 

 habits, which have become fixed in the course 

 of ages. This cm'ious subject has been dis- 

 cussed in the Gardeners' Chronicle for 1844, 

 p. 555, 779, &c., whither the reader is referred 

 Fig. LXXVII.-Setaria Germanica. ^^^ further information. 



