9^ 



they founded a kingdom which lasted down till the seventh 

 century. Another old name for wheat — hreothan^ may simi- 

 larly be connected with another ancient tribe, " Clatina Brcogan. 

 They occupied the territory where Ptolemy in the second cen- 

 tury places an offshoot of British Brigantes." — Skene. Were 

 these tribes so called in consequence of cultivating and using 

 wheat ? or was it so called from those tribal names ? are ques- 

 tions that are difficult to answer. It seems at least probable 

 that they were among the first cultivators of wheat in Britain 

 and Ireland. Breotkan, that which is bruised ; the same in 

 meaning as triticum. Other forms occur, as brachtan} being 

 bruised or ground by hand in the " inuileann bradh" the quern ; 

 sometimes spelled breachtaii. Mann, wheat, food. Fiormanft, 

 — -fior, genuine, and viaim, a name given to a variety called 

 French wheat. Tuirea?m, perhaps from tutre, good, excellent. 

 The flour of wheat is universally allowed to make the best bread 

 in the world. Ronihan, Roman or French wheat ; " branks." 



T. repens — Couch, twitch. Scotch : dog-g?'ass, quickens, &c. 

 Gaelic : feur a)-phuint (M'Kenzie), the grass with points or 

 articulations. Every joint of the root, however small, having the 

 principle of life in it, and throwing out shoots when left in the 

 ground, causing great annoyance to farmers. (From the root 

 punc or piing ; Latin, pmutum, a point.) Goin-fheur, dogs- 

 grass ; or goin, a wound, hurt, twitch. According to Rev. Mr 

 Stewart, Nether Lochaber, this name is also given to Cynosurus. 

 Fioihran, the detestable. It is one of the worst weeds in 

 arable lands on account of the propagating power of the roots. 

 Briiim fheur, flatulent grass. Probably only a term of con- 

 tempt. 



T. junceum — Sea-wheat grass. Gaelic: glas f/ieur, the pale 

 green grass ; a seaside grass. It helps, with other species, to 

 bind the sand. 



Lolium perenne and temulentum — Darnell, rye -grass. 

 Gaelic : breoillean. Irish : breallan {breall or breallach, knotty), 

 from the knotty appearances of the spikes, or from its medicinal 

 virtues in curing glandular diseases. "And being used with 

 quick brimstone and vinegar it dissolveth knots and kernels, 



^ Latin : brace or brance. Gallic, of a- particularly white kind of corn. 

 According to Hardouin, ble blaitc Dauphine, Triticutn Hibernum, Linn., var. 

 Granis albis. Lat. , sandala. 



" Galliae quoque suum genus farris dedere : quod illie brance vocant apud 

 nos sandalum nitidissimi grani."— Pliny, i8, 7. 



