282 AGRONOMY 



The grasses. With the exception of maize, or I//</i<i corn, 

 all the grasses cultivated for food are natives of the Old 

 World. The list includes wheat, oats, barley, rye, millet, sugar 

 cane, sorghum, and rice. The grains have been cultivated so 

 long that the origin of most of them is lost in antiquity. 

 Wheat has been cultivated at least five thousand years. Rice, 

 though cultivated in ancient times, still exists in the wild 

 state, but it is a question whether wild wheat can now be 

 found. Indian corn is a product of the warmer parts of the 

 New World and was cultivated by the Indians long before the 

 time of Columbus. It is not native to the Old World. Eng- 

 lishmen use the word " corn " for several kinds of grain, and 

 when references to corn are encountered in early English liter- 

 ature and in the Bible, it should be understood that the grain 

 we call corn is not the one meant. 



Bush fruits. All the common bush fruits, raspberries, black- 

 berries, currants, gooseberries, and the like, grow wild in both 

 Europe and America. Some of the species in cultivation are 

 of Old World origin, others have originated on this side of 

 the world, and some are hybrids between them. They are 

 usually but little changed from their wild relatives, the most 

 noticeable difference being found, as would be expected, in 

 the larger fruits. 



Tree fruits. Our tree fruits are all closely related and be- 

 long to groups allied to the rose family. They have been 

 cultivated from the earliest times and are much modified in 

 consequence. The apple, cherry, and peach are natives of 

 western or southern Asia, the pear comes from Europe, and 

 the different species of plums are found both in Europe and 

 America. The grape, while not a tree fruit, may be mentioned 

 here. Nearly all the common varieties cultivated in eastern 

 and southern North America have originated from native 

 species. The European grapes do not thrive in the eastern 

 states, but are extensively grown on the Pacific coast. 



