THE WHEAT CULTURIST. 17 



ago they were sure of a good crop of wheat, even when 

 the soil was very poorly cultivated. But now wheat 

 was the most uncertain crop that they attempted to cul- 

 tivate. 



• Winter Wheat — Triticum Hybemum. 

 Spring Wheat — Triticum (Estivum. 



" In the rich soil, clean wheat we sow ; 

 Out of the soil, fine wheat we grow ; 

 In measureless store, we garner the sheaves 

 When the kernels are ripe, and dry the leaves ; 

 Out of the sheaves, pure wheat we beat ; 

 Out of the chaff, we winnow the wheat." 



Edwards. 



Wheat is one of the most excellent of our cereal 

 grains. Botanically, wheat is one of the grasses. But, 

 from time immemorial, the wheat plant has been cul 

 tivated for its excellent and fine grain. 



The origin of wheat is not positively known. Still, 

 there is good reason for the belief, that, when " the 

 Lord God made every plant of the field before it was 

 in the earth" (Gen. ii. 5), wheat was one of the finest 

 productions of His hands. And, there is no doubt, that 

 this esculent grain constituted a good proportion of the 

 best food of the antediluvians. 



The first allusion to wheat in sacred history is in 

 Gen. xxx. 14, during the patriarchal age, by which we 

 may infer that wheat was raised by the servants of 

 Jacob. And, when the Lord sent the destructive plague 

 of hail on the land of the ancient Egyptians, Moses has 

 told us, Ex. ix. 32, that " the wheat and the rye were 

 not smitten." In Numbers xviii. 12, wheat is alluded 

 to among the offerings of the Israelites. In the days 

 of the prophet Samuel, and during the reign of David 



