60 



Sarah and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine 

 meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth," (Gen. xviii, 

 6V This was supposed to be wheat meal, for about half a 

 century after the death of Abraham the " wheat harvest " is 

 mentioned, (Gen. xxx., 14). Joseph dreamt of " the sheaves," 

 probably of wheat, for a little later, the " seven eared " variety 

 is described in Pharaoh's dream, "which kind is still cultivated 

 in Egypt, and has been used by the London bakers for dusting 

 their kneading boards, being raised to some extent in England, 

 where it is called " clog wheat," and still has seven ears on 

 one stalk." Seed from the same variety, found with a mummy 

 3000 or 4000 years old, is now known as the "mummy or Egyp- 

 tian wheat." Wheat was used in Solomon's time in exchange or 

 trade, for " Hiram, king of Tyre, was paid for services in the 

 building of the Temple with 2000 measures of wheat." In 

 the parable of the Sower, our Lord alludes to the grains of 

 wheat which " in good ground produce an hundred fold." The 

 common Triticum vulgare will sometimes produce one hundred 

 grains in a single ear. All through the Scriptures allusion is 

 made to Wheat and Bread, showing conclusively that it has in 

 all ages been the food of mankind. 



Among the Romans it was considered of so much impor- 

 tance that learned men wrote essays upon it, one of whom, 

 Columella, says, in an essay written near the commencement 

 of the Christian era, " The most profitable grains for man 

 are common wheat and bearded wheat. We have known sev- 

 eral kinds of wheat, but of these we may chiefly sow what is 

 called the red wheat, because it excels both in weight and 

 brightness. The white wheat may be placed in the second 

 rank, of which the best sort of bread is deficient in weight," 

 thus describing the kinds and qualities of the wheat of that 

 day. The same kinds of wheat above mentioned and recom- 

 mended " are yet grown in Europe and Great Britain, produc- 

 ing a greater average weight than any other." 



" When the "Romans, in Caesar's time, landed in Britain, 

 the culture of wheat and other agricultural products was 



