190 TKS FARMER AT HOME. 



GRAIN. This is a general name, and includes all those kinds ol 

 grass which bear straw, and which are cultivated on account of their 

 seeds for the production of meal or flour. The word corn, or its equi- 

 valent in other languages, is frequently applied exclusively to that 

 kind of grain which constitutes the chief nourishment of the country ; 

 thus, in a great part of Germany, it is rye ; in France, it is wheat ; 

 and, in our own country, it is maize. The great secret of the preser- 

 vation of grain consists in protecting it from the action of air arid 

 moisture, with a low temperature. Either too much air, or moisture, 

 or heat, will be fatal to it. The Chinese preserve their grain in pits 

 dug in rock, or firm dry soil, and to protect the grain from humidity, 

 these pits are lined with straw. Grain well dried and put up in 

 stacks at harvesting, or in rows, will keep much better than if thrashed 

 and deposited in common granaries, the chaff of the ear serving to 

 absorb the moisture which is most injurious to it. 



GRANITE. A compound rock, consisting of quartz, felspar, and 

 mica, each crystallized and cohering by mutual affinity, without any 

 basis or cement. The felspar commonly predominates, and the mica 

 is in smallest quantity. The colors of the felspar are white, red, gray, 

 and green. The quartz is light gray, and the mica dark. The gra- 

 nular crystals vary exceedingly in size, in different granite rocks. 

 Occasionally granite is stratified : but sometimes no stratification can 

 be perceived. Large globular masses, called rolling stones, are fre- 

 ^uently met with, composed each of concentric lamellar concretions. 

 Schorl, garnet, and tinstone, are frequently present in granite. Tin 

 and iron are the only metals abundantly found in this rock. It con- 

 tains molybdena, silver, copper, lead, bismuth, arsenic, titanium, tung- 

 sten, and cobalt. It is, however, poorer in ores than many other rock 

 formations. 



GRAPE. The fruit of the vine, growing in clusters, from which 

 wine is expressed. Grapes are found by a chemical analysis to con- 

 ' tain supertartrate of potash, tartaric acid, citric and malic acids, 

 abundance of sugar, a portion of mucilage jelly, some albumen, and 

 also, as is said, some gluten. When it becomes generally known with 

 what ease some kinds of grape can be cultivated, no farmer should 

 be without it. The fruit is delicious and conducive to health. The 

 vine is hardy and requires no great attention. If in locations near to 

 large cities, or where there is a demand for the fruit, the culture of it 

 meets with an ample remuneration ; but if not, a very few vines about 

 the house, which are ornamental as well as useful, would ordinarily 

 in the season of the fruit keep a family abundantly supplied with it. 



GRATE. A frame of iron bars, used for burning coal or fuel. 

 Grates are commonly smaller than fireplaces intended for the con- 

 sumption of wood, on account of the greater heat emitted by coal. 

 Those used for burning anthracite should be made deeper and of a 

 greater height than others, so as to present a comparatively small 



