400 



THE CEREALS IN AMERICA 



581. Preparation of Seed Bed. — Since a great deal of buck- 

 wheat is sown because of the failure of some other crop or be- 

 cause the delay 

 in farm work has 

 prevented the 

 preparation of 

 the land in time 

 for an earlier 



sown crop, 



the 



preparation of 

 the seed bed usu- 

 ally takes place 

 immediately be- 

 fore seeding. 

 The land is usu- 

 ally plowed and 

 prepared as for 

 a.ny other cereal. 

 Earl]/- and thor- 

 ough preparation 

 of the seed bed, 

 however, is ad- 

 visable, as shown 

 by the illustra- 

 tions in this 



Buckwheat: variety, Japanese, showing influence of preparation 

 of seed bed upon growth. Plat on which larger plant grew was 

 cultivated during the spring, while in plat upon which smaller one paraSfraph. 

 grew the weeds were allowed to grow in the usual manner. 

 Just before seeding, which was July 6, all plats were plowed 

 and prepared in usual manner. Illustration shows plants at six 



weeks from seeding. From unpublished data of Cornell Station. The 



(One-twelfth natural size.) 



582. 



Seeding, 

 date of 

 seeding varies 

 from May first to August first. The preferred time varies from 

 the middle of June to the middle of July, depending upon locality. 

 If sown too early, the flowers are liable to blast by the warm 

 weather. The plant begins to blossom when quite small and 

 continues until frost comes. Thus the plant has seeds in all 



