is indeed somewhat greater; but from its superi-ority as a bread-corn it is always chosen where the climate permits, or the poverty of the country has not constrained the inhabitants to be content with cheaper food.
“Wheaten bread is now almost universally used in England; and in Scotland it is becoming much more general; but in the reign of Henry VIII. it was confined to the gentry, and the poorer classes ate only rye, barley, or oaten bread. About the middle of the last century very little wheat was cultivated in the northern parts of England, and the crust of the Christmas goose-pies of Cumber-land was composed of barley-meal.
“Wheat grown in different countries varies con-siderably. The climate of the northern parts of Europe is not favourable to its production. It has, however, been slowly making its way in this part of the world; but in Sweden* to this day nothing is met with usually, except rye-cakes almost as hard as flint, as they bake only twice a year. Wheaten rolls may be seen occasionally in some of the towns, but never loaves. In 1812 a baker at Gottenburgh received an order from the captain of a vessel to bake wheaten bread to the value of one pound sterling; but the baker, alarmed
* This probably does not apply to Stockholm and other large towns or cities.