412 Experiments in the Culture of Bud-Wheaty If^c. Nor. 



amon^ crops commonly cultivated, at lead upon all light 

 foils. I confffs myfelf ipnorant of the proportion of nourifhment 

 drawn from the earth by the variouf? plants ; but it appears to 

 me, that buck-wheat does not exhaufl: the foil fo much as moil 

 others ; I found my opinion upon its- being a leguminous plant, 

 and j^rowintr to maturity in fo very (hort a fpace of time. Men of 

 fortu'ie would find it eli'^iblc to (ow in fmall quantities, on the 

 borders of woods or plantations, as an allurinj^ food for phea- 

 fants ; and it is perhaps the b-'ll grain we have, for the feeding 

 of pigs cr poulrrv. Horfes tlirivc well upon it-, and of late 

 years the diilillers in London have bought it readily at a price 

 equnl to that of barley. Charles Howard. 



Melbourne Farm^ PocUington^ ]\Iay 29. 



TO THE CONDUCTOR OF THE FARMERS MAGAZINE. 



Experiments /-y th^ Culture of Buch-Wbeaty and Ohfervaiiom on the 

 Sou'th-do-wn Sheep, 



In agriculture, as in other fciences, it were extremely un- 

 fair to record only fuch trials or experiments as prove fuccefsful. 

 As much, perhaps more, is often to be learnt from unfuccefsfui 

 refalts, as from thofe experiments which fucceed moft perfe^ly. 

 Yet, like medical quacks, I much fear the old faying is frequent- 

 ly verified with experim.ental agriculturifts : — What good they 

 do, the world proclaimeth ; what evil they commit, the earth 

 covereth. In conformity with the principle advanced in the 

 outfet of this communication, I propofe to record in your va- 

 luable Work, the refults of fome abortive experiments which 

 have been attempted on my fmall farm ; perhaps, fome of your 

 more experienced Correfpondents may point out the caufes of 

 iriv want of fuccefs, and the means by which fuch crops as I at- 

 tempted may in future be cultivated in this country. 



A good many years ago, having read in one of Mr MarflialFs 

 furvcys, that Buek^ commonly called Buck-wheat, or more vulgar- 

 ly Buckety- wheats was much cultivated in Norfolk as a valuable 

 food for fattening pigs and poultry ; and having he^rd that its 

 Hour made excellent pancakes, I gave it, as I thought, a fair trial. 

 In the corner of a field, which had been turnips immediately be- 

 fore, eaten by (beep on the ground, and which was to be fown 

 up with clover and ryc-grafs, 1 fowed a peck or two of buck at 

 the fame feafon with the barley. The buck grew indeed ; but 

 turned out fo very poor a crop, that the grafa and weeds entire- 

 ly 



