The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1875-07-28
GRANGE DEPARTMENT
BuckWh heat.

The buckwheat crop has been unwor-
thily cIassed among the catch crops, and
has also been designated as the lazy
farmers crop 1t is worthy of much
higher estimation than this The grain
itself is of considerable value for feeding
stock and poultry. 1t is held in estima-
ton in the market and in the household,
as the raw material for the popular buck
wheat cakes, and bears sufficiently good
price when brought early into the market,
to render it profitable TO the farmer. 1t
Is convenient crop, coming as 1t does to
occupy the place OF any others that have
failed to get sown or planted in due sea
son. Il is clearing crop; smothers
weeds, leaves the ground mellow and in
good condition for following Spring
crop, and in the majority of cases IT
serves valuable purpose as foster crop
in seeding down to grass. As a means OF
partially following ground it serves an
excellent purpose, and is more useful still
when made to furnish as it easily will,
mass of green matter to be plowed under
as manure. 1t grows upon any kind Of
soil. Light sandy land will produce a
crop. Newly broken rough land is mel
lowed and tanned by it, and upon such
land, too raw, rough, or cloddy to yield
a crop of anything else, this crop pro-
duces abundantly. Newly reclaimed
swamps, the soil Of which consists mainly
of raw peat and roots OF sedges, will
yield crop Of this grain when it will
yield no other. In short buckwheat NAV
be sown tor the next two weeks upon
any field or lot that is lying useless or
cannot be fitted for any other crop. A
WORKOUT, sod-bound meadow that needs to
be renewed, may now be plowed up, sOwn
to buckwheat, narrowed level, sOwn to
grass again, rolled and left with fair
chance of becoming again profitable
Although it will grow upon any kind
of soil, yet no crop pays better for
good treatment than this 1t re-
spends quickly to a moderate dress
ing of manure, and in the absence
of any other fertilizer, 100 pounds of
guano, or dried blood manure, or 100
pounds of ground gypsum, will assist it
greatly. From twenty to fifty bushels
per acre may be looked for according to
to the season or the soil 1t il lime
crop, the straw having in its ashes four
times as much lime as wheat straw, and
but little nitrogen or phosphOric acid
comparatively from the soil, but is rich
in carbon, which is the most abundant
element the soil possesses, and it is to
this carbonaceous matter the grain con-
tains that it owes its value as winter
feed for stock, or as winter diet for the
farmer. Ground that is to be sown to
this crop should be plowed at once. A
fine surface is not desirable unless grass
seed is to be sown with it. 1t thrives bet
ter upon a roughly plowed surface, and
for this reason is admirably adapted for
newly broken land or newly drained re-
claimed swamps Seed which may not
be covered will sprout and grow after the
first shower. The usual allowance of
seed is three pecks per acre. If the ground
is in good order half a bushel of seed
will produce heavier crop than twice as
much but for poor soil the latter guam
tity should be sOwn. Its branching hab-
it is similar to that of flax, and thin SOW
ing encourages this peculiarly and helps
to produce an abundant Out-growth of
hoWer-stalks.
AS it ripens irregularly and is killed
by comparatively light frost, the crop
should be harvested as soon as the bulk
of the grain upon the lower branches is
ripe. 1t may be cut with the common
cradle or the reaper, and raked into CAV
els while damp with dew or still moist
from a recent shower, lest the grain which
hangs by slender stems should be scat
tered and lost. The gavels or loose
sheaves unbound are stood on end, two
or three together, in small shocks, and
their branching tops are readily held to-
gether by their own entanglemenV. In
this condition they stay until favorable
opportunity occurs for threshing, as this
crop cannot be stacked or stored in a
barn, on account of its tendency to heat.
On dry, windy day the crop may be
threshed either with the fail or the ma
chine In the latter case the toothed
Concave should be removed and smooth
one be used in its place, Or else much of
the grain will be broken and lost To
prevent waste of grain, which is easily
separated from the straw in handling, the
wagon racks should be covered with barn
sheets or blankets. When the grain is
thrashed it should be cleaned up from
the chaf at once or will heat and be Sc
riously injured in quality so that it will
yield only very inferior -four. Buck
wheat is peculiar grain, and the millers
insist that it is only on dry breezy DAYS
that it can be ground into the best quality
of flour. As to marketing the crop it
should be always remembered that the
first in themarket brings much the highest
price of the season.