THE SOUTHEKN PLANTER. 



351 



crop of rye has been taken off the ground, 

 and thus even in the comparatively short 

 seasons of the Northeastern States and the 

 Canadas, two crops used as food for man 

 can be obtained from the land the same 

 year — a result seldom or never obtained in 

 the long, damp seasons of the British isles. 



Buckwheat is a plant known in almost 

 every part of the world. It is supposed to 

 have been first grown in Europe about the 

 time of the Crusaders, and the French 

 called it ble Sarrazin. In China, Japan, 

 and Russia, it forms a large portion of the 

 food of the inhabitants, and in Switzerland, 

 the south of France, and Flanders, it is 

 cultivated to a considerable extent. It has 

 been grown in England for upwards of 

 three hundred years, but the cool climate 

 of England is not well adapted to its per- 

 fect elaboration, and hence it is not very 

 extensively cultivated. In no country does 

 it flourish better than in the United Slates — 

 no where else do we find the luxury of hot 

 buckwheat cakes so frequently upon the 

 breakfast table. 



Buckwheat will grow on the poorest of 

 sandy soils, and it has been extensively 

 cultivated for the purpose of plowing in 

 manure. Nevertheless, we are inclined to 

 consider buckwheat as an exhausting crop. 

 Emerson, in the Farmer's Encyclopedia, 

 says : " It is generally thought to be a. 

 severe crop upon land, and for this reason 

 it is seldom sown upon highly improved 

 ground. Rough and hilly districts are 

 considered peculiarly favorable to the cul- 

 ture of buckwheat, which is admirably 

 adapted to subdue new or wild lands." 



Mr. Ballingal, in the Transactions of 

 the Highland Society, has given an account 

 of his experiments with it upon a clay 

 loam recently limed, from the results of 

 which he warned his brother farmers that 

 it is " useless to attempt to grow it upon 

 damp soils, or to expect full crops upon 

 lands exhausted by over croping." We 

 certainly cannot recommend the cultivation 

 of buckwheat for plowing under as a fertil- 

 izer. Clover is by far a better crop for 

 this pui'pose. If the soil is too poor to 

 grow clover, we should expect better re- 

 sults, in the Middle States at least, from 

 the white lupin, or some other leguminous 

 plant. 



" The mode of culture," says an expe- 

 rienced writer, " has varied considerably 

 since my recollection. It was formerly the 



custom to reserve the poorest land for buck- 

 wheat. It was considered a great reproach 

 to land to say it would produce only buck- 

 wheat. The practice was to break up 

 sward land early in the spring, and let it 

 lie until about seeding time, and then cross 

 plow and seed. The practice now among 

 good farmers generally is, to sheep the 

 fields intended for the crop as long as can 

 be done before sowing, and plowbut once." 

 The time of sowing varies in this State 

 from the 20th of June to the 4th of July. 

 It is sometimes sown as early as the 10th 

 of June and as late as the *15th of July. 

 If sown too early it is liable to blast, and if 

 too late it is frequently injured by frost. 



When grown for the grain, a bushel of 

 seed to the acre is usually sufficient, and if 

 the ground is rich it is not safe to sow so 

 much, or 'it will run too much to straw. — 

 It flourishes best in a mellow, dry, loose 

 sandy soil. " No crop," says Geo. W. 

 DuRANT, in the Albany Cultivator, " will 

 feel manure of any kind or in any state so 

 quick as buckwheat. Barn-yard manure, 

 whether green or rotted, ashes, lime, plas- 

 ter, all seem to produce a wonderful effect 

 when applied to this crop. Guano, as far 

 as my knowledge extends, has not been 

 tried, but I have no doubt the effect would 

 be a considerable per cent, above any other 

 manure, barn-yard manure not excepted. 

 We have seen Peruvian guano applied to 

 buckwheat with the most astonishing ef- 

 fect one hundred bushels per acre — dou- 

 bling the crop. 



The flowers of buckwheat are particular- 

 ly attractive to bees, and where bees are 

 kept in considerable numbers at least a 

 small patch of buckwheat should always 

 be sown. 



Buckwheat is an excellent food for poul- 

 try. Pigs thrive upon and are fond of it, 

 and when bruised it is good food for hor- 

 ses—two bushels being equal (for this pur- 

 pose, it is said) to three of oats. Cows, 

 when fed with it, yield a large increase of 

 milk. Sheep, when fed upon the plant 

 when in blossom, stagger and tumble 

 about as if drunk. 



We throw out these hints with the hope 

 of eliciting the experience of some of our 

 practical readers. — Genesee Farmer. 



