VARIOUS OTHER CROPS. 67 



CHAPTER XV. 



VARIOUS OTHER CROPS. 



BUCKWHEAT produces seeds or grains which resemble in 

 shape small beech-nuts, hence the name beech-wheat or buck- 

 wheat. The second part of the word would suggest that it is 

 a kind of wheat or a member of the grass family. This is not 

 the case, as the leaves and flowers prove. It belongs to the 

 family known as the polygonacece, to which also belong rhubarb, 

 the docks or sorrels, and knot grass. Its roots are quite short 

 and it feeds largely on the air. It will grow even on very poor 

 soils, where it is sometimes plowed under as green manure. 

 Its peculiar blossom is noticeable in its color and odor, and is 

 much sought by bees for its nectar. The grain is used for flour 

 and also for feeding in moderate quantities to stock. Buck- 

 wheat flour is not so rich in nitrogen as that of wheat, and the 

 straw has more fibre than the straw of the gramineee or true 

 grasses. 



THE SUNFLOWER is an annual, growing very high on tough 

 stalks with a large showy head filled with seeds. These seeds 

 are rich in oil and nitrogen compounds. The oil forms nearly 

 one-fifth of the dried seed, and is extracted for various uses. 

 The seeds are used also for feeding stock. Why is the plant 

 called the sunflower ? The sunflower is a fine example of the 

 large family known as the composite, which have many flowers 

 in a single head. The thistle, ragweed, goldenrod, aster, daisy, 

 yarrow, chrysanthemum, marigold, salsify, dandelion, lettuce, 

 and sunflower are all members of this family. Compare the 

 heads of any of these before and after seed formation. 



