300 THE AMERICAN FARMER 



est and toughest soil, and for this reason is often used in subduing wild lands, being sown on 

 the inverted turf, with but slight preparation, which it will penetrate and pulverize, leaving 

 it in a mellow and fine mechanical condition. 



As a green manure for rye, it is considered by most farmers quite valuable. If sown 

 during the second week in July, it will be ready to turn under in the early part of Sep 

 tember. 



Buckwheat is considered by many farmers a very exhaustive crop, and yet the land that 

 will not produce a single crop of corn without manure, will yield several crops of buckwheat. 

 It will also grow and thrive on poor soil that will scarcely give any yield of either corn, 

 wheat, or barley, and do this for several years in succession without seeming to diminish in 

 any large degree the productive capacity of the land ; on the contrary, we have seen rich soil 

 that seemed to be much injured by a single crop of this grain. It is in these respects a very 

 peculiar plant. The theory that it &quot; poisons the soil,&quot; as we have heard some farmers assert, is 

 absurd. It is proven by chemical analysis that it requires, as the elements of plant-food, con 

 siderable potash and a moderate amount of nitrogen and phosphoric acid. We do not think 

 this crop, when compared with others, is really an exhaustive one to soils generally. A good 

 crop yields about forty bushels, and often more, per acre. 



Cultivation. Although buckwheat will grow and produce a fair crop on poor soil, 

 with little or no manure, and often with the most careless preparation, yet it yields the most 

 remunerative crop only on those that are fertile and properly prepared. Sandy loams are 

 quite a favorite with this grain, especially such as have long been kept in pasture, or in mow 

 ing lands, but require plowing, although it will do well on a great variety of soils. Wet 

 lands are unfavorable to its cultivation. Chemical fertilizers are admirably suited to it, also 

 barn-yard manure, when well composted. Fresh manure is injurious, and fills the crop with 

 weeds. Wood ashes are also valuable in its cultivation. If too large a quantity of manure 

 is used, the straw is liable to lodge. 



Beside the common variety, or dark-colored grain, there is another of a light gray color, 

 known as the &quot;silver-hulled buckwheat,&quot; which in many respects is considered superior to 

 the former. The corners of this grain are less prominent than in the ordinary variety ; it is 

 more plump and heavy, the husks thinner, involving less waste in grinding, while the flour is 

 thought to be whiter and more nutritious. It is sai&amp;lt;i to be more prolific than the common 

 variety in soils suited to it, but more tender, and to thrive best on high, rolling lands in good 

 condition, and to require better soil than the common kind generally, or, rather, that it will 

 not produce a good crop on certain poor soils that result favorably to the common variety. 



The period of sowing this grain will vary according to the latitude, as it is necessary to 

 give the crop an opportunity to ripen before the time of frost. In some of the extreme 

 Northern States, it will be necessary to sow it as early as the middle of May; in others of a 

 warmer climate, it may be delayed until the first of July ; in some of the Southern States, it 

 is sown in August. It is generally sown broadcast and harrowed in, but sometimes in drills. 

 When the soil is well-pulverized, it is benefited by the use of the roller. As the plant branches 

 out and covers considerable ground, many farmers sow comparatively but a small quantity of 

 seed, and we have known some, who make a specialty of it, to use even but a peck per acre 

 with good results; it is sown in quantities varying from this to two pecks and a bushel and 

 a quarter per acre. It ripens very unevenly, and, if allowed to remain without harvesting, 

 will continue to blossom during the entire season, but the largest crop will be from the first 

 blossoms, and it should be cut when these, the earliest seeds, are perfectly ripe. 



Many farmers are particular to cut it while the dew is on, to prevent the grain shelling 

 out. We subjoin a few items on the culture of this grain from the pen of an intelligent and 

 practical farmer of Western New York: 



&quot; Neglect too often attends the cultivation of the land intended for buckwheat, and the 



