Buck-wheat is so little used as an aliment in this country, that there is little opportunity of studying its effects; but from all appearance, it has the common quality of other grain. In Norfolk it is grown for fattening poultry. In France, it is made into bread for human sustenance. This grain is covered with a hard, black, triangular husk, of which it is deprived by an operation, previous to grinding the farina. It is effected by high drying the grain either by the sun's rays, or by the heat of a kiln, and afterwards by being what is technically called run through the mill stones; the husks are then blown away by a winnowing machine, and the residual grain treated as in the preparation of wheat corn. The manner of making bread from it alone is as follows: boil a gallon of water, add thereto by degrees a peck of buck-wheat flour, constantly stirring it, to prevent lumps forming, till a thick batter is formed like that of Scotch or Yorkshire pottage. Add some salt, and boil the mass for an hour and a half. Then pour into an iron kettle, hanging over the fire, the due proportion for a cake, and bake it, turning it frequently to prevent burning.

An excellent mixed bread is made by the addition of a peck of wheat flour to the before-mentioned quantity of buck-wheat.

After the latter has been made into batter, and cooled down to blood-heat, it may be poured into the trough containing the wheat flour and yeast; being there well kneaded, it should stand two hours to prove, divided into loaves, and baked rather longer in the oven than for wheat bread alone.