S8 FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 



used in that country for that part of aliment. Indeed, the 

 principal excelence of Buckwheat is for making an agreea- 

 ble bread; for the cakes made of its flour, if eaten while 

 warm, are generally much relished ; and, tor the purpose 

 of bread, the same weight of flour of this grain will, per- 

 haps, go farther than that of any other , whatever. When 

 ground, or steamboiled, buckwheat is also good for feeding 

 and fating Swine, and other animals. 



The crop, when ripe, is cut with a cradle, and let lie in 

 the swath a few days to dry. It is than raked in small 

 bunches, which is to be done in the morning, to prevent its 

 shelling too much. When sufliciently dry, and during the 

 driest part of the day, it is drawn, either to the barn, or to 

 the centre of the field, which, in some places, is the most 

 usual practice, and threshed out immediately. It is very 

 easily threshed with the flail, while dry. Indeed, the crop 

 is easier raised, harvested, and threshed, than perhaps any 

 other. 



We cannot recommend the culture of this grain, on 

 lands which are suitable for more valuable crops;, but, on 

 light smooth lands particularly, the Farmer may find con- 

 siderable accotint in keeping a field, of a few acres, for a 

 yearly crop of buckwheat, as well for family-use as tor as- 

 sisting in fating his Swine, Sec. A bushel of gypsum to the 

 acre, or perhaps less, applied yearly to the ground, would 

 be found sufficient to keep it rich enough for good crops, 



BULL. See NEAT CATTLE. 



BURN-BAKING. A method of manuring stiff clay 

 lands. It is performed by paring off the sward, in pieces 

 about eighteen inches long, a foot wide, and two or three 

 inches thick ; these are set on their edges, leaning against 

 each other, to dry, which in good weather requires about 

 three weeks. They are then laid up somewhat in form 

 of ovens, with their mouths to a common windward side, 

 having a hole in the top of each for the smoke to pass off. 

 In a dry day, when the wind blows into the mouths, they 

 are set on fire with straw, and if they burn too briskly some 

 earth must be thrown on to deaded the tires. At the end 

 of about three days they will be completely burnt through ; 

 and then the burnt earth is spread over the ground and 

 ploughed in with a shoal furrow. 



See further, WEEDS, for another use of BURN-BAKING. 



For cuting up the swards in squares for burn-baking; a 

 roller with sharp iron rims round it, at suitable distances, is 

 to be used. As the roller passes over the ground the rims 

 pink into it sufficiently deep. The ground is first to be cut 

 one way with this implement; then with anoiher implement, 



