30 SEED-FOOD. 



rice seeds must be performed by the emperor him- 

 self. When we realize that rice gives food to 

 more human beings than any other plant, it is 

 not difficult for us to sympathize with the feeling 

 that prompts such special consideration for this 

 invaluable grain. 



At a time probably anterior to the Trojan War, 

 before the dawn of European history, there lived 

 in the region of Switzerland a half-savage people, 

 of whose existence we know from remains of their 

 dwellings which have been discovered in the lakes. 

 Along with primitive implements of stone or 

 bronze have been found the seeds of wheat, two 

 kinds of barley, oats, lentils, and our common 

 garden pea. 



Early Grecian coins and passages from the an- 

 cient writers show that the lentil, chick-pea, gar- 

 den pea, millet, and wheat were well known to 

 the Greeks. Barley was highly prized by them as 

 a strong food for athletes in training, and they 

 often represented the goddess Ceres with ears of 

 this grain plaited in her hair. A six-rowed variety 

 of barley is pictured upon medals of the Italian 

 town Metapontis, which date from about 600 B.C. 



Some of our most valued seed plants are pro- 

 ducts of our own country, and were found in ex- 



