150* 
BUILDINGS 
straw than the first; the third 25 bushels 
with straw like that of the first field. As 
a rule, early sowing gives large straw and 
a poor yield of grain, while late sowing 
gives the opposite. Twenty-five bushels 
per acre is considered a satisfactory crop. 
In Canada, Michigan. New York, and 
Pennsylvania the legal weight of a bushel 
of buckwheat is 48 pounds; in other 
States it is either more or less. 
USES OF BUCKWHEAT. 
Both in Europe and America the flour 
is widely used in making buckwheat cakes. 
In the Russian army buckwheat groats 
form a part of the soldiers’ rations. Eaten 
too constantly it is said to produce a fever¬ 
ish condition. Poultry are very fond of 
the seeds, which are believed to stimulate 
egg production. When ground it makes 
an excellent feed for dairy cows, and a 
mixture of ground buckwheat, corn, and 
oats is highly recommended. 
Buckwheat is also often ploughed under 
for green manuring. It will pay for its 
cost as a fertilizer, and some buckwheat- 
growers make a practice, of enriching their 
soil in this way, waiting, if beekeepers, 
until blooming is over in order to obtain 
the honey. Two or even three crops may 
be ploughed in, one after the other, when 
it is desired to get the ground in a high 
state of cultivation. A crop of buckwheat 
will help greatly in eradicating weeds and 
subduing rough land. 
Information in regard to the culture of 
buckwheat lias been furnished by C. E. 
Leighty of the Department of Agriculture, 
Washington, D. C. Other articles on buck¬ 
wheat culture will be found in “The Cer¬ 
eals in America,” by Hunt, and “The 
Small Grains,” by Carleton. 
BUILDINGS.— It is manifestly impossi- 
sible to recommend any standard design of 
buildings for beekeepers’ use that would 
suit all requirements. Some beekeepers re¬ 
quire a room that can be used for extract¬ 
ing only; others several rooms for work¬ 
shop, storage room, and extracting.' The 
same room may often be used for different 
purposes at different times of the year, 
hut, nevertheless, the purpose for which 
the building is to be used principally 
should be taken into consideration when 
it is planned. 
The construction and materials for these 
buildings also vary greatly from the light 
framework covered Avith canvas to the most 
substantial concrete structure. Except the 
buildings erected at home apiaries, tempo¬ 
rary or demountable or take-downable 
buildings are the rule for .the reason 
that out-apiaries often have to be moved 
about. 
Some use small buildings that can be 
easily loaded on a low wagon and hauled 
about from place to place. Still others use 
buildings made in sections, bolted together, 
so that the various sections may be taken 
apart and loaded on a Avagon in the flat. 
E. D. ToAvnsend of Michigan has used 
such buildings for years. Such a construc¬ 
tion costs a little more than the usual type 
built solid from the ground up, but the 
convenience, provided there is a likelihood 
of frequent moves, more than offsets the 
extra cost. 
In order to make the various sections 
strong enough to hold together after being 
unbolted, 2x4 material is used for the 
framework. There are six sections in all 
— not counting the floor—the tAvo ends, the 
two sides, and the tAvo halves of the roof. 
Before nailing on the siding on the 2 by 4’s 
Mr. Townsend tacks on a good grade of tar 
paper which is proof against depredations 
of mice. This makes the building more bee- 
proof as Avell, certainly an essential feature 
when extracting has to be done after 
the honey Aoav Avhen bees are inclined to 
rob. 
In locating a building the place most 
com^enient to the apiary must be taken 
into consideration; but if the lay of the 
ground permits, a downhill grade to the 
building makes it much easier to Avlieel 
or cart stuff to the building. In many in¬ 
stances it is of advantage to have a tAvo- 
story building, the second floor, Avhere the 
extracting is done, on a level with the api¬ 
ary. The honey can then be piped into a 
tank in the loAver story, the floor of which 
should be on a level, say, Avith the bed of 
a Avagon on the ground at the lower end 
of the building. 
When there is no sidehill and the “graA r - 
ity plan” is, therefore, impractical a honey- 
