HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHICAL LIMITS. 167 



directly it becomes scarce and dear, they cease their opera- 

 tions, and the stock they would otherwise purchase, and also 

 that which they already possess, are at once set free on the 

 markets for the bread supply of the people. When used 

 in the distilleries, only a portion of the grain is consumed, 

 the remainder forms an excellent food for their cattle, and 

 thus contributes to the fertility of the soil. In the south 

 of Europe rye is rarely met with; there the climate is 

 suitable for grain of a superior value as food, while the 

 grape furnishes the spirituous drinks of the country. 



The cultivation of Eye is confined to the temperate zone, 

 and succeeds far better towards its northern limits than 

 in the lower latitudes. It is met with as a crop as far 

 north as the range of cultivation extends. In Scandin- 

 avia, on the west side, it thrives up to 67 lat., and on 

 the east side, to 63 or 64 lat. In Russia, the polar 

 limit is indicated by the parallel of the city of Jarensk in 

 the government of Vologda, lat. 62 30'. Indeed, the 

 Russian traveller and naturalist, Von Middendorf, reports 

 having met with large and abundant crops, finer than any 

 he had ever seen in his native country (Livonia), growing 

 beyond the Yatusk, on the surface of a frozen subsoil. 



The early history of Rye, like that of the other bread- 

 corns, is of a very uncertain character. It lias been sup- 

 posed to be a native of Egypt, because we find it mentioned 

 in Scripture 1 as having been cultivated in Egypt, 1491 B.C. ; 

 and again, as having been known in Judea; 2 while in a 

 third place, 3 the same word (kussemuth), which hitherto 

 has been termed rye, receives a different translation, being 

 there tejrmed "fitches," so that it is very doubtful how far 

 the grain which we call rye was known at all at that 

 early period. Dr. Royle says, " though it is very unlikely 

 that 'kussemuth' can mean rye, it is not easy to say 

 what cultivated grain it denotes/' It occurs in the same 



1 Exod. ix. 32. 2 Isa. xxviii. 25. 3 Ezek. iv. 9. 



