4 



INTRODUCTION. 



of pulse or corn was cultivated in the time of Abraham, 

 as " fine meal," bread," and " cakes" are then spoken 

 of, and in the time of Jacob, " lentils." Corn and wheat 

 are also mentioned, thus showing that these plants were 

 then grown in the land of Canaan ; and history proves 

 that at that period Egypt was a corn-growing country. 

 From that time to the present day, corn and pulse have 

 been the staflP of life to a great portion of mankind. 

 The staple food, however, varies much according to the 

 different climates and the hereditary customs of the 

 numerous races of man. In most tropical climates rice, 

 sago, cocoa-nut, banana, tara, quinoa, maize, and in 

 temperate latitudes corn, that is, wheat, oats, barley, and 

 rye are the principal food plants ; the potato with other 

 succulent roots and numerous fruits being auxiliaries ; 

 while the reindeer and Iceland moss, bark, nuts of 

 various kinds, bulbous roots, and fungi form a great part 

 of the food of more northern nations. The plants yield- 

 iug tea, coffee, sugar, wine, tobacco, and betel nut, have 

 become special objects of man's care, not as being neces- 

 sary to his existence, but in order to satisfy artificial or 

 acquired tastes, being generally what are called luxuries, 

 which, from habitual use, have become indispensable 

 to his comfort. It is to be observed that some of the 

 most useful plants are in their natural state highly 

 poisonous, but are rendered wholesome by art. It is, 

 however, to be deplored that by distillation the sugar- 

 yielding plants have become the demoralizing agents of 

 the human race. 



The forethought of civilized nations is mainly directed 

 to the production of a constant supply of food, by sowing 

 and reaping according to the nature of their climate and 

 the plants they use. The elements, however, pay no respect 



