7i 



been buried four thousand years, but it will be surprising 

 to many, to learn that ''there is corn hi Egypt" of such 

 an age which will sprout and prove as productive as our 

 native maize. 



It is, undoubtedly, true that barley is more widely dis- 

 tributed than any other grain. Cultivated by the ancient 

 Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans, it was a most important 

 article of food in a remote antiquity. It is first mentioned 

 in Exodus 9 : 31, — " And the flax and the barle} r was 

 smitten, for the barley was in the ear, and the liax was 

 boiled." This grain is adapted to almost all climates, the 

 Himalaya barley producing good crops at the height of 

 14,000 feet above the level of the sea. It has been the 

 subject of song and humorous composition, and many a 

 swain has sung, 



"Here's health to the Barley Mow." 



Oats are the "corn" of Scotland, and probably a de- 

 velopment of the wild oat found in Europe, and now 

 growing wild, and spreading over large tracts of land in 

 California. It is a northern plant, though it does not 

 reach so far north as barley, and degenerates very rapidly 

 in hot southern summers. Its annual production in the 

 United States has been as high as 3,000,000 bushels. 



Rye, the annual production of which in the United 

 States is estimated at 20,000,000 bushels, is grown in the 

 largest quantities in Pennsylvania, New York, and 

 Illinois. Less nutritious than wheat, it is nevertheless a 

 wholesome grain. Its greatest use is for distillation of 

 whiskey in the United States, gin in Holland, and quass 

 in Russia. Its straw is more valuable than that of any 

 other grain, and it thrives upon poor soil and in the high- 

 er latitudes of the temperate zone. It is mentioned in 

 Exodus as " rie." 



Beans have been cultivated in Asia and Europe since 

 the earliest ages, and the many varieties used us fond for 

 men, cattle, and swine. In New England they have 

 proved a profitable crop on dry and moderately rich soil. 



