BUCKWHEAT 



107 



Outside of a rather limited region, where summer climate 

 is favorable for seed production, buckwheat is grown chiefly 

 for green manure, ^hay or forage. Its advantages as a crop 

 for green manure are good growth on poor soils; rapid 

 growth; its high percentage of nitrogen; its rapid decay 

 when turned under. It is inferior as a hay crop because of 



Distribution map of buckwheat. One dot represents 50,000 bushels. 

 (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture) 



the difficulty in curing it, but it may be of some use when 

 other crops have failed. 



Sometimes small areas are planted to buckwheat for the 

 use of bees. The flowering season is rather long and comes at 

 a time when other honey-making flowers are scarce. 



The time for sowing buckwheat may be adjusted to the 

 demands of other farm work, because it requires so short a 

 period to reach maturity only sixty to seventy days. The 

 procedure for growing and harvesting the crop is, in general, 

 the same as for other cereals. 



