114? BUCKWHEAT. 
one of the western islands of Scotland, are said to 
brew a wholesome kind of beer from one part of malt, 
and two parts of the young tops of heath. The stalks 
and tops may be rendered of considerable service in the 
tanning of leather ; and in dyeing woollen cloth an 
orange colour. Bees are partial to the flowers ; but 
the honey which they form, after having fed upon 
these flowers, acquires a reddish tint The leaves and 
seeds of heath afford a grateful food to grouse, and 
other animals. 
TRIGYNIA. 
126. BUCKWHEAT, or BRANK, is a black and trian- 
gular grainy produced by a plant of the per dear ia tribe (Poly- 
gonum fagopyrum), with somewhat arrow-shaped leaves, and 
purplish white flowers. 
Although buckwheat may now be considered as in 
some degree naturalized in this country, and as growing 
wild near our fields and dunghills, it was originally in- 
troduced from the northern parts of Asia, and was first 
cultivated here about the year 1600. The flowers ap- 
pear about July, and the seeds ripen in October ; and 
so tender are the plants, that a single night's sharp frost 
will destroy a whole crop. 
As a grain, buckwheat has been principally cultivated 
for oxen, swine, and poultry; and although some far- 
mers state that a single bushel of it is equal in quality 
to two bushels of oats, others assert that it is a very 
unprofitable food. Mixed with bran, chaff, or grains, 
it is sometimes given to horses. The flower of buck- 
wheat is occasionally used for bread, but more fre- 
quently for the thin cakes called crumpets. In Ger- 
many it serves as an ingredient in pottage, puddings, 
and other food. Beer may be brewed from it ; and, by 
distillation, it yields an excellent spirit. 
The best mode of harvesting this grain is said to be 
by pulling it out of the ground like flax, stripping off 
the seeds by the hand, and collecting these into aprons, 
or cloths tied round the waist. 
