. Elementary physical geography;. ief factor in the dispersal of these. The Grasses and Grains.—The grasses probably ex-tend over a wider area than any other family of these the sugar-cane and maize, or Indian corn, are nativeto the American continent. All the others belong to theOld World, but have followed the march of mankind. Thegrasses are the sole food of many species of animals, andthe seeds are consumed by every race and tribe of starch they contain gives them their chief value as afood-stuff. Rice is confined chiefly to the marine marshes andmoist lands of tropic
. Elementary physical geography;. ief factor in the dispersal of these. The Grasses and Grains.—The grasses probably ex-tend over a wider area than any other family of these the sugar-cane and maize, or Indian corn, are nativeto the American continent. All the others belong to theOld World, but have followed the march of mankind. Thegrasses are the sole food of many species of animals, andthe seeds are consumed by every race and tribe of starch they contain gives them their chief value as afood-stuff. Rice is confined chiefly to the marine marshes andmoist lands of tropical and sub-tropical regions, but several upland species. Rice is the staple food ofabout one-half the people of the world, and is the cerealchiefly used in Southern and Eastern Asia. In certainparts of China and India, wheat is gradually supplantingit. The nutrient value of rice is not quite equal to that ofwheat. Maize, or Indian corn, a native of the New World,is an important food-stuff in temperate and sub-tropical. DISTRIBUTION OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS 319 regions. It is the chief bread-stuff of the mixed andnative races of the New World. In the United States andCanada it is used mainly as animal food, being convertedinto pork. Its use, both in the form of grain and meat, isincreasing among the peoples of the Old World. It is alsoused in the manufacture of liquor. Wheat is the bread-stuff of the civilized peoples of thetemperate zones and is the fuel of the activity and energyof the world. It is grown in the great plains of the temper-ate zones, but it thrives in sub-tropical and sub-polarregions. The world requires about 2,400,000,000. bushels of wheateach year, and the amount required is steadily annual crop is somewhat greater, but in an occasionalyear the visible surplus falls very low. In 1907 the crop was3,000,000,000 bushels. It is estimated that the maximumcrop possible is about twice this amount. About one-fourthof the worlds crop is produce
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