CLASSIFICATION AND CHOICE OF FIELD CROPS 5 



The six great cereals of the -world are wheat, r}'e, barley, 

 maize, oats and rice. In addition to these the seed of the millet, 

 or non-saccharine sorghum, is used largely by the peoples of 

 southern Asia. 



Th« relative Increase in population and production of cereals during 50 years. 



In all ages and in all countries the cereals have occupied the 

 bulk of the cultivated area and have formed the principal ingre- 

 dient in the dietary of the people, as well as forming an impor- 

 tant part of the food of domestic animals. Rye is the leading 

 cereal of northern Europe and barley of southern Europe, while 

 rice is the leading cereal of Asia. In the United States the 

 three just mentioned occupy a minor place, while maize, wheat 

 and oats occupy by far the largest part of the cultivated area. 

 The following table shows the proportion of the area of each 

 cereal to all the cereals raised in the United States in 1899;^ 



» T»«lfth Census. VoL VI, p. 14. 



