Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 1, 1802).djvu/407

BUG weight to every hundred square rods of land. Three months only are required for bringing it to ma- turity, and it produces from twelve to twenty-fold. The most econo- mical manner of harvesting this grain is, by pulling it out of the ground, like flax, stripping it of the seeds by the hand, and collecting them into aprons. Thus all the ripe seeds are easily separated, be- fore they are put into bags, to be conveyed to the granary ; while the straw is left, till dry, in the field. In this state, it affords an excellent substitute for hay ; and it is affirmed, that the German farmer obtains, at less expence than by mowing and drying the whole, in the usual way, ten times the quantity of corn. Another variety of this grain was, about a century ago, introduced into Germany, and has lately also been cultivated in Britain, known bytheriame of SiierianBuci-wheat. It possesses considerable advantages over the. former 5 because it is not only a fourth part heavier in the grain, but also more palatable, and, in this respect, resembles rice. It thrives in the poorest soil, is not affected by cold, and, being more disposed to branch out, and spread its stalks, requires scarcely one half of the seed necessary for the cul- ture of the preceding species. From repeated experiments, made in this country, it appears that the culture of buck-wheat ought, in many cases, to be adopted in pre- ference to a summer-fallowing j as the crop produced is not only so much clear gain, but also affords a considerable quantity of straw, for fodder and manure ; beside which, it is a more advantageous prepara- tion for the next crop. There will be sufficient time to sow the land BUG h75 with buck- wheat after spring feed- ings, a crop of turnip-rooted cab- bage, or vetches. When sown in July, buck-wheat is an excellent sheltering crop to clover ; and two crops of dais grain have, in favour- able years, been obtained from the sameland. Mr. Arthur Young, in the sixth volume of the " Annals of Agriculture," has inserted an in- structive paper, communicated by the Rev. R. Moseley (Sept. llth, 1/86), from which we learn the following valuable facts : That three crops were sown on the same ground, between autumn and au- tumn, with only three ploughings, namely, winter-tares in September, with one ploughing, which were reaped early in the succeeding summer ; then immediately buck- wheat was sown, after one plough- ing and harrowing : in September the buck-wheat was ploughed in, and wheat was sown on this one ploughing, the crop of which was great. Thus, says Mr. Young, as the spring advances, and the sun becomes powerful enough to exhale the humidity of the land, the crop also advances, and screens it from the action of his beams. The weeds in the soil vegetating with the young tares, are either strangled by their luxuriance, or cut off with them, before they produce seed. This crop is cleared from the land so early, that the soil would remain exposed to the sun for three months, in the most scorching heat of the summer 5 and, if thus left exposed, the three ploughings would be hurtful to the soil, except that diey might destroy some weeds. Hence, to give one ploughing immediately, and harrow in buck-wheat, saves expence ; and the growing herbage shades the earth, when it most requires to be protedted : by this B b 4 manage-