Page 54 - Arabian Studies (I)

I

40 Arabian Studies I

testimony is summer [saif] then it stands lour months and is
harvested. Some may be sown following the summer of wasmi-rain
[quiz akwasnil] ,5 9 and Yemenite folk call it Ditha’ and Qiyaz, it
being the poorest variety of wheat. Varieties of wheat in the Yemen
arc many - ‘ArabI, Halba, Wasni/WisnT, Nasul which is ‘Alas, and
HabashT |? Abyssinian].’
The learned Democritus60 said: ‘The cultivator must not sow on a
day when the north wind is blowing because it spoils the ground, nor
does the seed flourish and establish firm roots in it.’ He (also) said:
‘Sowing of wheat must not be delayed beyond its [proper] days, and
early [sowing] will bring it better fortune [barakah].' He (further)
said: ‘Wheat and barley seed must not be washed, for, if washed, its
grains turn out thin and do not fill out much. When the cultivator
sows at the waxing of the moon and the ascension of the
preponderant (?)61 Zodiacal signs which cause generation, that seed
will thrive and produce abundantly.’ Democritus said: ‘I have [on
occasion] sown at the waning of the moon and [had no cause] for
regret.’
Wheat is (a cereal) of great utility, so care over its preservation is a
matter of importance. One of the ways whereby wheat lasts, even
over a long period, is that it be taken (to the granary) in its ears.
1 say: ‘In the Holy Book,62 in the story of Joseph al-Siddlq —
peace be upon him - and the interpretation of the King’s dream,
occurs [the passage]: “And whatsoever ye harvest, leave it in its
ear. ”6 3 That is to say, he ordered them to store it against the years
ol drought so that it might be safe from pests.’ They say that
jawars*4 -millet, if taken (to the granary) in its ear, will keep a
hundred years. I say: ‘That cannot be applied to every country
without restriction, for hot countries cause the perishing of grain
together with its ear.’ They say: ‘A way whereby wheat is kept safe
from rot and alteration of its taste is that papyrus or Persian reed be
put down for it and it be placed on it.’ If wheat or other seed be
placed in earthenware pots and covered with a hyena-skin in such a
way that the smell of that skin can pervade it then it will stay free of
all pests.
Now concerning the varieties of wheat already mentioned, one ot
these is Wasni/WisnT, 6 5 the best variety of wheat, its grains being
thick, red, with a tail66 to them, heavy in weight. The places for
sowing it are the temperate districts, and the time for sowing it in
Mikhlaf Ja‘far and the adjacent districts is surab.6 7 This is the variety
used in the mountain country of the land of the Yemen watered by
rain at the beginning of Tammuz (14 July); it stands three and a half
months and is then harvested. It is sometimes sown in al-Qusaibah
and parts of the Ta‘izz68 district like it that are watered by running