SEED-FOOD. 29 



date 3359 B.C. has been assigned. There is also 

 evidence of the cultivation of barley, millet, and a 

 kind of lupin, in Egypt during prehistoric times. 

 Herodotus tells us that the lentil was largely used 

 by the ancient Egyptians, but because they con- 

 sidered it common and coarse it found no place 

 upon their monuments. The red pottage for 

 which Esau sold his birthright was made of 

 lentils, the color being due in all probability to the 

 seeds having been hulled, thus exposing the pale- 

 red kernels. It is still the practice in that region 

 to cook lentils in this way. 



The occurrence of Sanskrit names for the lentil, 

 chick-pea, barley, millet, walnut, sesame, and cas- 

 tor-oil plant, indicate a very ancient use in India. 



It is recorded that the Chinese Emperor Chin- 

 nong, who lived about 2700 B.C. instituted the 

 annual ceremony of sowing seeds of the five most 

 important plants of the Empire, as a token of 

 appreciation and gratitude for these gifts of 

 Heaven. The plants chosen were rice, wheat, 

 sorghum, a sort of millet, and a bean-like plant 

 known as soy, from which substances similar to 

 butter and cheese are largely extracted. No less 

 a personage than a prince of the royal blood can 

 take part in the ceremony, and the planting of the 



