Return to Elementary Science 2
“We are going to have another talk about corn this evening,” said Fred. “We have picked out some grains of corn from the chicken’s food, and father has got these ears of corn for us.”
“Here is the wheat. Let us take that first, as teacher did,” said Willie. “This is the best of all the corn grains for making flour for bread, biscuits, cakes, and puddings. It forms the chief part of our food. The ears are full, and the grains themselves are round and plump.
“The ear of barley,” said Fred, “is not at all like the ear of wheat. Each grain ends in a long spike. This is called the beard of the ear. Barley is hardy and will grow where we could not grow wheat. It does not make nice, sweet, white bread, like our wheaten bread. People never use it for bread when they can get wheat. Nearly all the barley we grow in this country is made into malt for beer. It is also used for feeding pigs and poultry.
“This is an ear of oats. Each grain in this ear hangs loosely by itself, with its open end downwards towards the ground. As the grain grows the rain runs off, and does not lodge in it, or it would rot it.
“The flour made from oats is called oatmeal. In countries where wheat will not grow, the people live on oatmeal cakes and porridge, instead of wheaten bread.”
“There is another kind of corn called rye,” said Willie. “In this country we cut down the rye while it is green to feed cattle and sheep. Rye-flour makes a coarse, heavy bread. But the people in some lands are glad to get even that.”
Return to Elementary Science 2
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