Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1865-04-13
MistelIanp.
From the Bremen County Phoenix
Buck-wheat as Food for Men.

IrODaDfy thefe is no article OF food
so extensively used which is SO dele
terious to the human system as buck
wheat Some persons, however, con-
tend that the habitual uso of fresh
pork may be classed with it. Is the
first proposition true9 If so, why is
it that a people claiming to he the
most enlightened and intelligent on
the earth, should live life of such
contradictions Why is it that peo-
pie blessed beyond all other people Of
the earth, in soil and facilities for pro-
ducing wheat-the staple article of
"bread corn, for the civilized world,
should send that bread corn, to foreign
countries in immense quantities aud
eat as substitute, the worst grain
that grows.
Wheat contains all the constitution
al elements of the human system, in.
more exact proportions than any other
vegetable. Buck wheat is the reverse
Of this. 1t is said to be a native of
Siberia 1t is altogether probable that
it was created for some country to
keep birds and men from starving,
when seasons were SO short that NO
other grain would grow.
Such was the cause Of it's introduc-
ton into some of the Northeastern
States. With rocky and sterile sol,
and prospective failure of other
crops, it was resorted to as a substi-
tute. Hence it became necessary to
render il fashionable.
Buck-wheat -four wet with water
and cooked without any other addi-
tions, is about as palatable, and equal
~ as good favored as fine water-sea.
soned saw-dust The inventive ge.
MUS Of the Yankee nation was taxed
tn make it popular. AS usual, it re.
suited in success. A thin, spongy
cake, quickly prepared and cooked,
which would absorb nearly its weight
in butter and honey, strip or sugar,
was too great temptation to be re-
sisted. Hence it became q national
dish.
Apiarists soon discovered that when
their supply of honey, from white clo-
yer and other flowers was about to
fail, they could supply it from the
buck wheat blossoms, late in August
This enabled them to save their bees,
and occasionally have surplus Of
inferior honey for market This gave
an additional stimulous to the produc-
tion of the crop. They had not then
learned that light colored sugar, dis.
solved to the consistency of honey,
with perforated float upon it to ena-
BILE the bees to extract il, was vastly
superior, both for preserving the bees
and the quality OF the honey.
ITS DEIErERious EFFECTS uroN THE HUMAN BODY.
There is no doubt but what there
are many persons with healthy. hear
ty constitutions, having vigorous ex-
ercise in the open air, who may eat
> it freely without any apparent bad eff
feet, unless it be a severe cold occa-
sionally. 1t is equally clear to intel.
ligent, careful observers, that to per-
sons Of sedentary and indoor habits,
and those pre-disposed to disease, il
is highly injurious. 1t is great pro-
moter, Of scrofula. and manifests it.
self in catarrh, bronchitis, liberated
liver and lungs, and in all the various
forms in which that affecting disease
undermines the constitution. 1t Sc
cretes fat rapidly, and produces soft
flesh it admires the fulmooon y
faces it produces precisely that con-
dition Of the system most likely to n-
wife the lodgment OF disease
A horse can be fattened with il
<,.;n11., nl LII 10 ,G
in two days. Even the hog, which
can devour everything else, even
snakes, with impuBity, is overmatch-
ed with the buck.wheat.
If you take a lot of thrifty pigs,
two or three months old; make an
equal division; put them into pens
alike. litter one pen with wheat straw,
and feed wheat or corn meal, and lit.
ter the other with buck-wheat, and
feed buck-wheat meal the latter in
two weeks will be covered with sour
Wy or mango, aud stop growing en-
tirely, while the former will be healthy
and hearty. If you turn your hog.
into buck-wheat fieldit will produce
the same result. ~ ~
1t seems almost supernnous to at
tempt to write on this subject. /
seems as if the careful observation o
any one ought to be sufficient admoni
ton.
occasionally hear persons Of strong
constitutions refer to their own expe
rience as REPUTATION Of the argument
1t always reminds me of an incident
which transpired about twenty-five
years ago: The head of as healthy 9