IMPORTANCE OF BUCKWHEAT 249 



318. Importance. The entire area devoted to buckwheat 

 in the United States is only about 800,000 acres annually, 

 though in 1917 it was slightly over 1,000,000 acres. About 

 three fourths of the crops is grown in New York and Penn- 

 sylvania. The average production of the United States for 

 the ten years from 1908 to 1917, inclusive, was 16,260,000 

 bushels, of which New York grew 5,732,000 bushels and 

 Pennsylvania 5,598,000 bushels. No other state produced 

 more than a million bushels, the states of largest produc- 

 tion being West Virginia, Virginia, and Michigan. Except 

 in New York and Pennsylvania, buckwheat cannot be regard- 

 ed as a staple crop, but is generally sown as a filler or catch 

 crop on land where corn or some other early planted crop 

 has failed. It yields well on poor land, hence it is grown 

 quite generally on rocky hillsides and other dry locations. 

 The best yield is produced on sandy loam soils. The chief 

 value of buckwheat lies in its quick maturity, enabling it to 

 ripen its seed when sown as late as July 1, thus giving an 

 opportunity to get some return from fields where previous 

 crops have been destroyed by floods or from other causes. 

 As it makes a quick, rank growth, it is also an excellent crop 

 for clearing land of weeds and for green manure. 



319. Method of Cultivation. Buckwheat should be sown 

 on well-prepared land during the latter part of May or in 

 June. Seeding as late as July 1 is possible where the grow- 

 ing season is not too short. The usual rate of seeding is 

 about 3 or 4 pecks to the acre. The seed may be sown broad- 

 cast or with the grain drill. If sown broadcast, it should be 

 well covered with the harrow. Cutting is usually delayed 

 till the approach of cold weather, as the plants continue to 

 bloom and produce seed until killed by frost. The usual 

 method of cutting is with the self-rake reaper, the grain 

 being cured in the bunches and not tied into bundles. These 

 bunches are often set up into shocks to lessen the injury from 

 weathering. Cutting with the grain binder is sometimes 



