Page 58 - Arabian Studies (I)

44 Arabian Studies /

when good there may even be as many as three grains in an envelope,
ll is of the wheat category. Its grains (can) only be detached from
their envelopes when it is crushed between the stones of the quern
[rahd\, the latter being called mijashshah,96 or pounded with a
wooden pestle and mortar as is done with rice. When freed of its
envelopes its grain is called Nasul.97 When flour of it is made into
bread it is firmer than wheaten bread, bread made of it resembling
that made of WasnT/WisnT wheat except that in quality, utility and
goodness it is inferior to it; in the form of Hour it exceeds its
measure when in the form of grain. With us sowing of white 'alas
takes place at the beginning of Tammuz [14 July—] and it is sown
like WasnT/WisnT wheat in the places where the latter is sown also, it
being scatter-sown just as [WasnT] is. It stands three months and is
then harvested, being called Abyad (White) because its husk is white,
though its grain is red.
'Now concerning the second variety which is red, the places where
it is sown are the same as those of 'ArabT wheat, it being sown
exactly as the latter is, and harvested after three and a half to four
months. In the wadis and places where WasnT/WisnT is sown it does
not do well. It is called Ahmar (Red) because its husk is red, but its
grain is nearer white. It is sown in accordance with the rain at the
time mentioned above, as surab [cropping in autumn], and in places
with running streams as qiyad [cropping in winter (shita')] at the
beginning of the month of Kanun II [14 January-] .9 8 From the
lime it is harvested it is left exposed to the sun and not
stacked - then it is trodden out with oxen and the stone till it is
crushed, and winnowed, as wheat is, in the winds until the grain is
free of straw, but each pair of grains stays in a cover until it is
crushed with the mijrash99 — 1 mean the stones already mentioned —
and pounded with the wooden pestle and mortar until it is freed of
its husk.’

3. The third species is barley.

It is of two varieties, one with a husk — the best known among folk,
and a huskless variety called suit, 1 0 0 called HabTb 1 0 1 by most
people. In al-Isharah he said: ‘It is sown in the cool places where
‘ArabT wheat is sown, the time for sowing it being from half-way
through HazTran [28 June] to the first of Tammuz [14 July], and it
is closer to the nature of wheat than the rest of the varieties of
barley. It is sown in the same way as the husked barley, and each
stands three and a half months and is then harvested as wheat is, and
stored.’ I say: ‘Scholars differ with regard to the description and

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