"HELIANTI."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 707, 5 January 1910, Page 8

"HELIANTI."

THE NEWFODDER PLANT. ENVOY ARRIVES .HERE. ' ■_"l know you know of-helianti in -New, Zealand—l've seen it mentioned in the New Zealand papers. From that I judged that a little is known here, of the new fodder plant: ,1 am going, to. try. and make it better known,", said Captain. ,C. H. Moss, who arrived from-England, via Australia, by the Moeraki yesterday, "but I did not want, tn say too muck until I had grown soma in your country."-' Tho references to'helianti'which have appeared in the Now Zealand papers have been rather vague, and not rag, and Captain Moss was asked "to explain in, precise terras wliat helianti was. .All I can tell you of its origin isHhat it. came from North America, and has been .'cultured' to perfection by French scientists. It will not grow from the seed—it grows from V tuber which lies horizontally in -the earth and, curiously enough, the tubers are just.a palatable to cattle, horses, pigs, arid sheep as is the forage from the plant , Little wonder in that—it contains over 18 per cent, of sugar. ..The plant grows like a sunflower— a. straight, substantial stalk and big leaves—all good fodder. The tubers are planted fifteen' inches from; each other in rows a : yard. apart, and they bear abundantly—two crops a year. "Helianti," Captain Moss continued, _ will grow in poor and : sandy land, and is indifferent ,to extremes of heat and cold. It."will stand 13 degrees of cold, and yet it did,well in Algeria arid France through'the long drought of 1906."' 'The growth makes excellent green fod-; der ensilage or hay,' and exceeds both in green and dry weight,' and animal food, the best known forage plants.. .The percentage of dry weight an. the green growth is exceeded by lucerne only; the proportion being.2l per cent., in helianti (which, by the way, signifies " a ray of sunshine") to 26 uer cent. , in. lucerne, but holianti produces not less than three times the weight, of, growth, per acre, and,, according to ■ analysis, ■ contains the, extraordinary amount of seven per cent.; of eugar 4 in the green growth. If a heavy crop of tubere '• is desired, the forage must not be. cut, but all must be allowed to ; mature. An acre of helianti will -produce tubers, exceeding- Lα. weight ..the yield per, acre of potatoes several■ times over, and,rivals even,the mangold." :■ '...;'..•> : '■••■■. ■ ■• ;; ' ' - :

Helianti is-really the property of Mr. Charles; W, -Martersj 'of England, who has parted; with the New-Zealand and Tasmanian rights '..to". Captain Moss. Others.have secured the rights for Australia, which, promises to be'an ideal country for", the raiEing of helianti. Captain Moss intends to have some, experiments made, in growing helianti in New Zealand,, and purposes asking the Government to do likewise on the experiment farms. o-~; ■- ■ ..■■.■.■":■■.•. -;'v- ■--;■•■:■;