260 



MAIZE. 



cut green and converted into hay, and tlie ripened seeds, are food 

 for cattle, poultry, and swine. 



It is raised most abundantly in Central Asia and the Himalaya. 

 In tlie latter country' the different varieties are grown at various 

 elevations, between 4,000 and 12,000 feet. The finest samples 

 exhibited in 1851 were from Canada, but some of excellent quality 

 was also shown by the United States, Eussia, and Belgium. The 

 comaion variety grown m^uvo^Q is t\iQ Polygonum fagopy rum, and 

 P. emarginatum is grown in China and the East. In tliis country 

 the produce varies from 2 to 1 quarters per acre. The quantity of 

 seed sown is 5 to 8 pecks the acre. Yauquelin found 100. parts of 

 its straw to contain 29"5 of carbonate of potash, 3*8 of sidphate of 

 potash, 17"5 of carbonate of lime, 13'5 of carbonate of magnesia, 

 16'2 of siKca, lO'o of alum, and 9 of water. 



It is believed to be a native of Central Asia, as it is supposed to 

 have been first brought to Europe in the early part of the twelfth 

 century, at the time of the crusades for the recovery of Syria from 

 the dominion of the Saracens ; while others contend that it was 

 introduced into Spain by the Moors, four hundi'ed years before. 



The cultivation of buckwheat, in one or other of its species, is 

 principally confined to Grreat Britain, France, Switzerland, Italy, 

 Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Eussia, China, Tartary, Japan, 

 Algeria, Canada, and the middle and northern portions of the 

 United States. 



In America from 30 to 45 bushels per acre may be considered 

 as an average yield in favorable seasons and situations, but 60 or 

 more bushels are not unfrequently produced. 



Accordiug to the census returns of 1840, the annual quantity 

 raised in the United States was 7,291,743 bushels ; of 1850, 

 8,950,916 bushels. 



The average annual imports of buckwheat into this country have 

 not exceeded 1,000 quarters, until last year (1852), when they 

 reached 8,085 quarters. X small quantity of the meal is also an- 

 nually imported = 



MAIZE. 



Maize (^Zea Mays), is the common well-known Indian corn 

 forming one of the most important of the grain crops, and has a 

 greater range of temperature than the other cereal grasses. It 

 was found cultivated for food by the Indians of both Xorth and 

 South America, on the fii'st discovery of that continent, and thence 

 derived its popidar name. Maize succeeds best in the hottest and 

 dampest parts of tropical climates. It may be reared as far as 40 

 degrees north and south latitude on the American continent; 

 while in Europe it can grow even to 50 degrees or 52 degrees of 

 latitude, some of the numerous varieties being hardy enough to 

 ripen in the open air, in England and Ireland. It is now culti- 



