FIELDS. —Under the term pl clatran, which we translate ' grain' and ' corn,' the Hebrews corn prehended almost every object of field culture Syria, including Palestine, was regarded by the ancients as one of the first countries for corn (Pliny, Hist. Nat. xviii. 7). Wheat was abundant and excellent ; and there is still one bearded sort, the ear of which is three times as heavy, and con tains twice as many grains, as our common English wheat (Irby and Mangles, p. 472). Barley was also much cultivated, not only for bread, but because it was the only kind of corn which was given to beasts ; for oats and rye do not grow in warm climates. Hay was not in use ; and therefore the barley was mixed with chopped straw to form the food of cattle (Gen. xxiv. 25, 32 ; Judg. xix. 59, etc.) Other kinds of field culture were millet, spelt, various species of beans and peas, pepperwort, cummin, cucumbers, melons, flax, and, perhaps, cotton. Many other articles might be mentioned as being now cultivated in Palestine ; but, as their names do not occur in Scripture, it is difficult to know whether they were grown there in ancient times, or not.
Anciently, as now, in Palestine and the East the arable lands were not divided into fields by hedges, as in this country. The ripening products therefore presented an expanse of culture unbroken, although perhaps variegated, in a large view, by the difference of the products grown. The boun
daries of lands were therefore marked by stones as landmarks, which, even in patriarchal times, it was deemed a heinous wrong to remove (Job xxiv. 2) ; and the law pronounced a curse upon those who, without authority, removed them (Deut. xix. t4 ; xxvii. 17). The walls and hedges which are occasionally mentioned in Scripture belonged to orchards, gardens, and vineyards.
it was little more than a stout branch of a tree, from which projected another limb, shortened and pointed. This, being turned into the ground, made the furrow ; while at the farther end of the larger branch was fastened a transverse yoke, tc which the oxen were harnessed. Afterwards a handle to guide the plough was added. Thus the plough consisted of—i. the pole ; 2. the point or share ; 3. the handle ; 4. the yoke. The Syrian plough is, and doubtless was, light enough for a man to carry in his hand (Russell's Nat. Hist. of Aleppo, i. 73). We annex a figure of the ancient Egyptian plough, which had the most resemblance to the one now used (as figured in No. 16), and the comparison between them will probably suggest a fair idea of the plough which was in use among the Hebrews. The following cut (from Mr. Fellowes' work on Asia Minor) shews the parts of a still