THE MICROSCOPE. in 



Oat starch is composed of both compound and simple grains.. 

 The compound grains are oval, egg-shaped or spherical, and 

 are composed of from three to twenty grains. The dividing lines 

 between the single grains show quite distinctly. They are from 

 one two-thousandth to one eight-hundredth of an inch in 

 diameter. These compound grains are more opaque than the 

 majority of the starches. These grains are bounded by a smooth, 

 curved surface, thus giving to the simple grains their peculiar 

 shape. Each simple grain has two or more plain faces or sides, 

 while the remainder of the grain is curved. There is no nucleus 

 present, but the most of the simple grains have a slight 

 depression over the surface, so the edges or borders are more 

 prominent than any other part of the grain. The small grains 

 are from one four-thousandth to one five-thousandth of an inch 

 in diameter. There is no cross present when examined with the 

 polarized light. 



BUCKWHEAT is a native of Central Asia, but cultivated exten-^ 

 sively in Europe and America for its seed. Its scientific name 

 is Polygonum Fagopyrum L. The seeds are inclosed in a dark 

 brown tough rind ; they are three-sided in form with sharp 

 angles, and are very similar in shape to beech-mast from which fact 

 it derives the German name Buchiveizen (beech-wheat). In Great 

 Britain it is used only as food for the pheasants and poultry, 

 but in Northern Europe the seeds are used by all classes of 

 people for food. In the Russian army, buckwheat is served 

 out as a part of the soldiers' rations. It is used to some extent 

 throughout the Unittd States for food. Buckwheat is poor in 

 nitrogenous substances and fats as compared with the other 

 cereals. It is a favorite crop for very poor land, as it grows 

 with great ease and rapidity. Buckwheat flour is frequently found 

 mixed with the poor qualities of wheat flour. Its color and 

 properties prevent it ever being substituted for wheat flour. 



Buckwheat starch (Fig. 4) is composed of both compound 

 and simple grains. The compound grains or masses are either 

 cylindrical or prismatic. When cylindrical the curving surface is 

 perfectly smooth, but the ends are irregular as though they had 

 been broken. These masses are very numerous and characteristic, 

 unfortunately they closely resemble the cell contents of black 



