CHAPTER IV 



WHEAT 



DESCRIPTION AND CLASSIFICATION 



161. Origin and History. As far back as history goes, 

 wheat has been cultivated throughout the civihzed world. 

 On account of its antiquity, it is somewhat difficult to trace 

 its origin. It is known to have been grown extensively in 

 western Asia, in Europe, and in the northern part of Africa, 

 ever since there have been any records of human events, 

 and there are evidences which indicate that it was grown in 

 China at least 3000 B. C. Wheat is mentioned in the first 

 book of the Bible, and its use for bread-making dates back 

 many centuries. 



Wheat belongs to the grass family Gramineae and to 

 the tribe Hordeae: it is very closely related to barley and 

 rye. Some botanists think that it evolved, through a nat- 

 ural process, from the wild grass known as Aegilops, com- 

 mon in southern Europe. There is apparently no definite 

 means of proving this theory, and whether it was developed 

 in several countries independently or in one section and 

 carried by the earlier tribes to other sections is also unknown. 

 The important fact is that we have this valuable plant, 

 adapted to a very wide range of soils and climatic conditions, 

 giving us a product from which the standard bread of the 

 world is made. 



162. Botanical Characters. The wheat plant is a true 

 annual, though in some sections it has been changed into 

 what is known as a winter annual, being sown in the fall and 

 maturing early the following summer. The numerous fibrous 

 roots grow in whorls from the lower joints of the stem. 



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