ARID AGRICULTURE. 223 



can be planted as late as July, where our seasons 

 are long, and planted in the spring at our higher 

 altitudes will usually mature a good crop. It 

 is one of the easier grain crops to grow, and is of 

 much value as stock feed, where there are no 

 mills for making buckwheat flour. The princi- 

 pal use made of it is for chickens, but when 

 ground it makes a good grain for other kinds of 

 animals. It will usually do on soils which have 

 been plowed early or on sod. For dry farming 

 plant about twenty pounds of seed per acre, and 

 twenty-five or thirty pounds where plenty of 

 water may be had for irrigation. 



There are two principal varieties, the Jap- 

 anese and the Silver Hull. The Silver Hull 

 produces a smaller grain than the other, but we 

 prefer it for general planting. Buckwheat 

 should not be allowed to get too ripe before har- 

 vested and must be handled carefully in our drj* 

 climate to prevent shattering. 



Beans are one of the best paying dry-farm 

 crops, as they will mature with comparatively 

 little moisture. Large areas are devoted to bean 

 culture in California, where the season is long 

 enough to mature lima varieties. Beans are a 

 cultivated crop which fits into Western farming. 

 They are legumes which gather nitrogen from 

 the air and improve the soil. The best varieties 

 for field culture are the large Xavy or the 

 small Xavy, the Mexican bean, and Red 



