FOOD OF THE MODERNS. 51 



The food of the Romans in their early history, as with the Spartans, 

 was extremely simple and mostly vegetable, such as barley and pulse. 

 Wheat was afterwards much cultivated, and barley was given to sol- 

 diers by way of punishment. The distribution of the public grain 

 was cause of frequent excitement and disturbance, as are the corn, 

 laws of England at this time. Fruits were much eaten by the Ko- 

 mans. Flesh and poultry, as now, constituted much of their animal 

 food. Pork was in high repute, as also the flesh of bears, dogs, asses, 

 camels, and wild boars. Sucking puppies, water rats, snails and 

 maggots were great delicacies, with grass-hoppers, locusts and other 

 insects. 



After the Romans, great changes ensued in the diet of the people 

 who succeeded them, and in the arts of agriculture. Barbarism and 

 poverty prevailed for five centuries, during which the soil was little 

 cultivated. The Monks afterwards continued to cultivate small por- 

 tions of soil, and are said to have been instrumental in continuing and 

 introducing agriculture at later periods. 



FOOD OF THE PEOPLE OF MODERN NATIONS. 



There are in France, according to M. Dupin, 7* millions who eat 

 little or no bread, and 20 of the 33 millions are deprived of animal 

 food. These last live on the grains and potatoes, while the above 

 7^ millions subsist on rye, flummery made of buck wheat, chestnuts, 

 pulse and some potatoes. Improvements, however, are making in 

 France, in food, as well as in the use of ardent spirits. The whole 

 amount of vegetable food in France, as estimated for 1830, was 170 

 million bushels of wheat, 322 do. of other grains, and 130 million do. 

 of potatoes and chestnuts total, 622.500.000 bushels. This is about 

 19 bushels for each person. There were in 1826 but 6.684.952 horned 

 cattle and 4.000.000 swine, in France, while in the United States there 

 are of all of the above grains not less than 961.039.051 bushels; and 

 with peas, beans, chestnuts, etc., not less probably than 1200 millions of 

 bushels, or double the quantity raised in France, though with but 

 about half her population. This would allow for each individual in 

 our country 70 bushels. We have also about 17 millions of neat or 

 horned cattle, 30 millions of swine, and 25 millions of sheep, with 

 fish, poultry and wild game almost without limit. 



In Switzerland the people are provided with about six bushels of 

 wheat each ; and in the city of Geneva with 6 oz. of animal food daily, 

 or double that of the Parisians. The bulk of the people live on oat 

 meal, potatoes, milk, coffee, with meat and half a pint of cider on 

 Sundays ; but a proportion have a little wine and meat two or three 

 times a week. 



In Italy the chief subsistance is on maize with rice, and in some 

 parts potatoes, in others wheat, and in the Appenine regions, chestnuts. 



