THE SUNFLOWER.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2148, 13 January 1881, Page 4

THE SUNFLOWER.

Says a correspondent of the Melbourne *• Weekly Times ” -Having road last season that sunflower seed was very valuable as food for fowls, I wrote to Melbourne for some, but waa told there was none to be got. Wishing very much to plant 'some, I made search when I wont to Melbourne, and was told that it Lang had none ne one would have any. I went to his shop, and found ho had a very little, but could not purchase more than half ho had. It was very fine coed, and I estimated tho few seeds I purchased to cost at tho rate of '£JKSO per bushel. I, after considerable search, obtained about Db of black sunflower seed at about £2 per bushel, and planted tho -seed, and tho produce enabled me to plant two acres this season, besides 'giving i» little away. I have a'good crop, but ss tho land was recently drained, and not in good heart, the crop was not what it might have been. There in, however, enough seed to plant'iOOO acres of ground. Some of the plants have ae much 'as thirteen heads, but many have only one head. On one with thirteen heads, tho largest, or top head, oontainod’TflOO seeds, and all the rest wonld have Tjetweon them about 500 seeds, or 2100 seeds tfor the entire plant. 1 believe it possible to .grow Sunflower to yield’five thousand fold. At'present fowls are fed largely on maize, but -iriftign is bad for the production of eggs, Although good for fattening fowls. Sunflower •eed is good both for egg-laying and fattening. 'Sunflower grews quickly, and is more sure than maize in this colony ; and as maize is a ’standing ordp in'New South Wales, so should sunflower be a main crop for fowls’ food in Wiotbria. Tfce fowls are very fond of it. The --sunflower seed contains a very largo quantity -of excellent oil, and it is grown in Russia for that pnrpoco, the refuse, after tho oil is extracted, being valuable feed for cattle or pigs. The ntalk of tho sunflower makes valuable potash, should also mention that the flowers, when in bloom, which lasts for a considerable time, are excellent for bees, as they contain a large amount of honey. It is also a pretty light to seo a field of these flowers. I may mention that my maize has done very badly this year on similar ground to that on which the sunflower grows.