}\)c 5ee-|\eepeps' f\e\^ie(i 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to tl^e Iqterests of Hoqey Producers. 



$L00 A YFAR. 



W. Z. HDTCHiNSON, Editor and Proprietor. 



VOL, XI. 



FLINT. MICHIGAN, JUNE 10, 1898. 



NO 6. 



VARIETIES OF BUCKWHEAT. 



Also a few Words about the Discussion on 

 Facing Comli Honey. 



AARON SNYDER. 



I I A VINO liv- 

 ^ ^ ed in a n y 

 >ears in an ex- 

 tensive b u c k - 

 wheat district, 

 may be able to 

 interest the f ra- 

 il niity sonie- 

 wliat on that 

 subject. There 

 are two or three 

 varieties of 

 American buckwheat; the black, the 

 grey, and the silverhull; all having near- 

 1)' the same habit of growth; viz., that of 

 branching considerably. For this reason 

 we should sow only from two to three 

 pecks per acre. Of late, the Japanese 

 variety has been introduced into this 

 country; and is pretty well liked as a 

 main crop, but not as good for honey. 

 The grains are black, and little larger than 

 the American. It does not weigh quite 

 so nmch per bushel, and the straw grows 

 larger and does not branch out so much 



as the American. For the latter reason, 

 fanners generally sow more seed; about a 

 bushel to the acre. 



Here in Eastern New York, buckwheat 

 is usually sown from the 20th of June to 

 the 6th of July. It is generally thought 

 the later it is sown, and yet have time to 

 ripen before frost comes, the better it 

 yields. There is a wide range in yield; 

 all the way from 10 to 35 bushels per acre; 

 all depending upon the soil and amount 

 of fertilizer used. I know of no grain 

 that will respond so readily to the use of 

 fertilizer as will buckwheat. The crop 

 is generally cut by hand, with grain 

 cradles, raked up in small bundles, set 

 up on end, left to dry, and just as soon 

 as dry enough to thresh is hustled into 

 the barn on the principle of "hurrah boys, 

 make hay while the sun shines." The 

 straw is almost worthless, except for bed- 

 ding. Stock will eat very little of it; in 

 fact, they might about as well eat so much 

 wind. 



As a honey plant it is one of the best; 

 so much so that a bee-keeper located in a 

 buckwheat district has a stire thing. 

 Failures are so scarce they are not worth 

 mentioning; at least, that has been my 

 experience. The weather should be a 

 little damp to have it secrete honey to 

 best advantage; for that reason the bulk 



