USES OF BUCKWHEAT 201 



land where buckwheat is generally raised it would not be considered 

 wise to fertilize heavily. 



Preparation of Land. Often buckwheat land is poorly pre- 

 pared, as it is sown late and other crops are cared for first. Late 

 plowing is common, yet no crop responds better to early plowing 

 and thorough preparation even though sown late. 



Time of Seeding. As buckwheat will mature in 60 to 70 days 

 from sowing, it may be sown just late enough to mature before frost. 

 The fall season is usually more favorable than the summer season 

 for maturing the seed crop. The average time of sowing in New 

 York and Pennsylvania is July 1, though it extends from June 15 to 

 July 15. Harvesting is generally in the third week of September. 



Sowing the Seed. The ordinary rate of seeding is three to four 

 pecks per acre, though it varies from two to five pecks. The seed 

 grows easily, and since the plants grow rapidly, branching out to 

 occupy all the land, there is little difficulty in securing a good stand. 



The seed is commonly sown broadcast and harrowed in, though 

 if the weather is dry and the land weedy, drilling is much better. 



Harvesting. As buckwheat continues to blossom and set seed 

 until frost, it is usually cut when the largest yield of ripe seed can 

 be secured. Ordinarily this is 60 to 80 days after sowing, but, in 

 general, the crop is cut just before killing frost. 



In dry weather the grain shatters off easily, so it is good practice 

 to cut on a damp day or early in the morning. It is not usually 

 bound as other grain, but cut with a self-drop reaper, which leaves 

 the straw in loose gavels. As the straw is green and cures slowly, it 

 may be left in gavels for several days. It is then set up without 

 binding, but a handful of straw is twisted about the top, and two 

 or three bunches set together. 



Threshing. Buckwheat is seldom stacked or put in a barn, as 

 the straw does not readily dry enough to stack without great danger 

 of heating. It threshes very easily and may be threshed when 

 slightly damp. As the seeds are likely to crack, and the straw break 

 up, the concave teeth are often removed from the threshing machine 

 and boards or smooth concave plates inserted. 



Uses of Buckwheat. Buckwheat has been used from earliest 

 times as human food. In America its principal use as human food 



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