Wheat and Human Civilization
Men and animals appear to eat different kinds of food. For instance-the animals are divided into two kinds namely herbivorous and carnivorous, that is those which live by killing and eating the meat of other animals and those that live by eating grain, plant, seeds and leaves.
But the chief food of men, horses, cows and sheep is the same. All of them eat grass. The only difference is the above said animals eat the fresh or dried leaves of grass while we eat the seeds. And wheat which is the chief food of a large part of the human race is also a kind of grass.
Wheat is grown in a fairly dry climate and it is grown best in a rich and heavy soil which is no doubt very fertile.
As the climate in Bengal is very damp and the soil in Deccan is very light and sandy, wheat does not grow in these parts.
Punjab and Haryana where there is clay soil and dry climate wheat fields are found in plenty. Hence the Punjabi have made bread of wheat flour as their main and staple food while the people of Bengal and Southern India are adapted to a rice diet.
Wheat is grown in plenty in Punjab and Haryana that the surplus wheat is being exported to other countries that are in need of wheat as their staple food.
England is also one of the wheat growing countries of the world but the population of England is so high that the home product of wheat is not sufficient for them and they had to buy a great deal of wheat from other countries like America and India.
The greatest wheat growing country in the world is America. Russia also grows a lot of wheat and much of the wheat, eaten by the people of England, is imported from Russia. Ukraine is one of its very rich wheat producing states. Romania also grows a great deal of wheat.
In India wheat is a spring crop. The seed is sown in the cold weather and the harvest takes place in March or April. When the wheat has been ripped, it is thrashed, that is the seeds are beaten out of the husks in England there are thrashing machines used for this purpose while in India it is done by beating with sticks or by the trampling of bullocks.
Then the heaps of seeds and husks or chaff are winnowed, that is, they are tossed up in a strong wind which carries away the light chaff and leaves the heavy seeds behind.
These seeds are then taken to the miller who grinds them into a fine white powder called flour.
This flour is used for baking bread and making chapattis and puris.
Wheat is one of the best food and those who eat wheat are strong and active. So, bread is called the staff of life.
