is of more service to
them than the strength of the noblest trees, and they are spread and
multiplied by the same tempests that devastate the forests. Added to
this, the species to which this class of plants belong--the
grasses--are remarkably varied in their characteristics, and better
suited than any other for universal propagation."

"Which was remarked by Homer," observed Ernest "who usually
distinguishes a country by its peculiar fruit, but speaks of the
earth generally as _zeidoros_, or grain-bearing."

"There, Willis," exclaimed Jack, "is another great admiral for you."

"An admiral, Jack?"

"It was he who led the combined fleets of Agamemnon, Diomedes, and
others, to the city of Troy."

"Not in our time, I suppose?"

"How old are you, Willis?"

"Forty-seven."

"In that case it was before you entered the navy."

"I know that there is a Troy in the United States, but I did not know
it was a sea-port."

"There is another in France, Willis; but the Troy I mean is, or rather
was, in Asia Minor, capital of Lesser Phrygia, sometimes called Ilion,
its citadel bearing the name of Pergamos."

"Never heard of it," said Willis.

"To return to grain," continued Becker, laughing. "Nature has rendered
it capable of growing in all climates, from the line to the pole.
There is a variety for the humid soils of hot countries, as the rice
of Asia; immense quantities of which are produced in the basin of the
Ganges. There is another variety for marshy and cold climates--as a
kind of oat that grows wild on the banks of the North American lakes,
and of which the natives gather abundant harvests."

"God has amply provided for us all," said Frank.

"Other varieties grow best in hot, dry soils, as the millet in Africa,
and maize or Indian corn in Brazil. In Europe, wheat is cultivated
universally, but prefers rich lands, whilst rye takes more readily to
a sandy soil; buckwheat is most luxuriant where most exposed to rain;
oats prefer humid soils, and barley comes to perfection on rocky,
exposed lands, growing well on the cold, bleak plains of the north.
And, observe, that the grasses suffice for all the wants of man."

"Yes," observed Ernest, "with the straw are fed his sheep, his cows,
his oxen, and his horses; with the seeds, he prepares his food and
his drinks. In the north, grain is converted into excellent beer and
ale, and spirits are extracted from it as strong as brandy."

"The Chinese obtain from rice a liqu