10 CEREAL GRAINS OR CORN PLANTS. 



are found, man is generally seen to be advanced in civilization. The 

 wheat found buried with the ancient Egyptians, and some other peo- 

 ple of the East, indicates their civilized condition. 



Corn plants, as they are now found, do not generally grow wild in 

 any place. Some few species of an inferior character found in a wild 

 state, may be greatly improved by cultivation, as those have been which 

 are now cultivated ; but such, with many other useful vegetables, have 

 generally followed the course of Man. They have attended conquests 

 and commercial intercourse. Cortez introduced some of the most valu- 

 able plants into Mexico. Wheat followed the conquests of the Romans ; 

 the vine those of the Greeks ; cotton, &c. those of the Arabs ; and very 

 many useful plants have come to this country through the English and 

 French. Maize only, of the cereal grasses, was found in Mexico at 

 the time of the conquest, and in North America at the period of its dis- 

 covery. The first seeds of wheat in the New World were three or 

 four found, in 1530, by a slave of Cortez among some rice. The In- 

 dian planted them, and thus conferred on that country an imperishable 

 blessing. The rice of this country was sent in a small bag as a pre- 

 sent to a gentleman in Charleston, S, C., not 150 years since, and now 

 it is not only a principal article of food here, but is exported in large 

 quantities to the place whence it came. The potato, a native of A- 

 merica, was taken hence to England and Ireland in 1586, and a few 

 hills only planted, but it is now the chief article of food there and in 

 other parts of Europe and the Eastern world. 



The. distribution of corn plants depends mainly on climate. They 

 cannot be traced beyond the 60th degree of North latitude. In more 

 southern parts of Siberia, however, they are abundant. Buckwheat 

 there yields six crops successively with but one sowing ; oats are like- 

 wise excellent. In Lapland plentiful crops of rye are produced, and 

 still further north potatoes supply the place of grain. South of Siberia 

 and in Kamstchatka the cereal grains are not at all cultivated, which 

 is attributed more to the soil than to the frosts. Oats and barley are 

 found farthest north in Europe. Rye is next ; and in parts of Sweden, 

 Norway, Denmark, and the north of Germany it is the chief article of 

 cultivation. Being a hardy plant, it is more suitable for those lati- 

 tudes ; and no where is it so much cultivated. The harvests of Nor- 

 way, notwithstanding its intensely cold climate, are generally good and 

 abundant. In Sweden, cultivation is attended to scientifically, and 

 wheat, rye, oats and barley are there raised. South of this, rye gives 

 place to wheat ; and this predominates in England, France, and parts 

 of Scotland, Germany, Hungary, and Western Asia. Still farther 

 south, in Spain, Portugal, parts of France, Italy and Greece, wheat 

 is abundant, together with rice and maize. To the East, in Persia, 

 Northern Asia, Arabia, Nubia, Egypt and Barbary, rice, maize and 

 millet most abound, with little of wheat. Barley, with wheat, rice 



