BUCKWHEAT 247 



inches deep, with an inch or two of air space between the 

 layers. Curing under cover is necessary to retain the de- 

 sirable green color of the brush, and to prevent it from be- 

 coming brittle or discolored. From two to four weeks of 

 dry weather are required for curing, after which the brush 

 should be neatly piled together or ''bulked" to prevent 

 ])leaching. After it is thoroughly diy, it is ready for baling. 

 Broomcorn goes to market in bales of from 300 to 400 pounds 

 in weight, the baling being done by horse-power presses. 

 The price varies greatly with the size of the total crop and 

 the length and quality of the brush. It ranges ordinarily 

 from $50 to $100 a ton, though it may reach $200 or more in 

 years when the crop is short. A good crop of dwarf brush is 

 about 400 or 500 pounds to the acre, while standard broom- 

 corn will produce from 600 to 800 pounds. 



BUCKWHEAT 



315. Origin and History. Buckwheat is one of the few 

 grains which do not belong to the grass family, flax being 

 the only other one which is of importance in America. It 

 is a member of the dock or buckwheat family, the Poly- 

 gonaceae, which includes few useful plants, but numer- 

 ous bad weeds such as the docks, smartweeds, and knot- 

 weeds. A peculiarity of this family is the three-angled 

 (rarely four-angled) seeds. The ordinary buckwheat, Fago- 

 pyrum esculentum, is a native of the Amur River district of 

 Manchuria, where it is still found growing wild. A type 

 which is grown to some extent in Maine and Vermont is the 

 Tartary buckwheat, or ''India wheat," Fagopyrum tartar- 

 icum, with smaller seeds, broader leaves, and more slender 

 growth. This plant is a native of the plains in the interior 

 of Siberia and Tartary. It was brought from Europe to 

 the United States by the colonists. The name buckwheat 

 is supposed to have })een originally "beech-wheat" from the 

 resemblance of the grain to small beech nuts. 



