Spelt, or St. Peter's Corn.
Botanical name:
Zea.
A plant of the corn kind, resembling barley; sown in some parts of Europe, but not much known in England. It grows a foot and a half high. The stalk is round, hollow, jointed, and green; the leaves are grassy, but broad. At the tops of the stalk stands an ear like that of barley, but smaller and thinner, though with long beards; the grain is not unlike barley in shape, or between that and wheat, only much smaller than either.
The seed or grain is the part used; it is supposed to be strengthening and in some degree astringent, but we know very little of its qualities, nor are they considerable enough to encourage us to inquire after them.
