10 



bounds, hut no longer exclusively furnishes oread, — Rice and Maize be- 

 coming frequent. To this zone belong Portugal, Spain, part of France, on 

 the Mediterranean, Italy and Greece ; also the countries of the East, Persia, 

 northern India, Arabia, Egypt, Nubia, Barbary, and the Canary Islands : 

 in these latter countries, however, the culture of Maize or Rice, towards 

 the South, is always mare considerable : and in some of them, several 

 kinds of Sorghum (kindred species of our Broom corn), and Poa Abys- 

 sinica (a plant related to our Meadow Grass) — come to be added. In 

 both these regions of Wheat, Rye only occurs at a considerable elevation ; 

 Oats still more seldom, until at last they entirely disappear, — Barley af- 

 fording food for horses and mules. In the eastern parts of the temperate 

 zone of the old continent, in China and Japan, our northern kinds of 

 grain are very unfreqnent, — and Rice is found to predominate. The 

 cause of this difference between the East and the West of the old conti- 

 nent, appears to be in the manncis and peculiarities of the people. In 

 North America, Wheat and Rye grow as in Europe, Maize is more 

 reared in the Western than in the old continent, and Rice predominates in 

 some of the Southern districts of the United States. Within the torrid zone, 

 Maize predominates in America — Rice in Asia — and both those grains 

 in nearly equal quantity in Africa. The cause of this distribution is, 

 without doubt, historical : for Asia is the native country of Rice, and Amc-= 

 rica of Maize. 



In some situations — especially in the neighborhood of the tropics — 

 wheat is also met with, but always subordinate to these other kinds of grain: 

 In the high lands of South America, there is a distribution similar to that 

 of degrees of Latitude. Maize, indeed, grows at the height of 7200 feet 

 above the level of the sea, — but only predominates between 3000 and 

 G000 feet of elevation. Below 3000 feet it is associated with other vegeta- 

 bles peculiarly tropical ; while from 6090 to 9200 feet, the European 

 grains abound, — Wheat in the lower regions — and Rye and Barley in 

 the higher, 



To the south of the tropic of Capricorn, wherever Agriculture is practi. 

 sed, considerable resemblance with the northern temperate zone may be obr 

 served. In the southern parts of Brazil, in Buenos Ayres, in Chile, at 

 the cape of Good Hope, and in the temperate zone of New Holland, 

 "Wheat predominates ; Barley, however, and Rye, make their appearance 

 in the southernmost parts of these countries, and in Van Dieman's land. — 

 In New Zealand the culture of Wheat is said to have been tried with suc^ 

 cess : but the inhabitants avail themselves of a species of Fern [Acrosti- 

 chum furcatum ] as the main article of sustenance. Hence it appears, 

 {liat, in respect of the predominating kinds of grain, the earth may be di- 



