The Sunflower

Horowhenua Chronicle, 5 October 1915, Page 4

The Sunflower

■ (JJy JuKiiua JJovorloj, iii-N.Z. Agricult . tiiira-Journal.)

Oil-producing plants have caino in lor more attention oi late yoaxs, espec-

ially these such as the sunflower, which arc easily cultivated and from which a good return may be expected. ' Holianthus aiuuuis is supposed to be a native of Mexico, and to have spread tl trough out the temperate and subtropical zones from Europe to as far as India and China. The cultivation ;jf the .sunflower is e;isy. From (ilb to 81b of seed is required to sow an aero. The seed should be planted -an inoh deep, and when the plants are a Tool, high they should be earthed up, and need then receive no further attention. In Russia the seed is sown- in drills '2ft. apart, and the plants are afterwards thinned to give about 12,000 I plants per aero. Up to 10,000 plants have been .successfully grown on an acre of land in England. It seems advisable to have rather wider raws—say, 2?iii.~and to space the plan Ik ] sin. apart in the rows. Horse cultivation ca)i be better carried , out with this space between rows. Topping with plants is recommended in order to increase tlui yield per acre. The sunflower does iiost on rich calcareous .soils. On really good land the yield per acre should be something like 50 bushels. One bushel of_seed yield* approximately 1 gallon of oil. The white-seeded variety is said to yield more oil than the dark-seeded kinds. At the Moumahaki Experimental Farm in the past season a variety, Russian (jliant, wa.s successfully grown. The seed was planted in October, and the crop was ready to harvest early in March. The sunflower is rather an exhaust-" ing crop so far as pota.sh is concerned. A means to counteract this is to uurn the stalks and spread the asftcs over the land; it is said that stalks grown on an acre eoiuain iroiu 15 cwt. to -U cwt. of potash. An analysis of the ash of the plant (given by the Pharmaceutical Journal) includes, m- round numbers, the following constituents: i'osash -18, lime It), magnesia o, and 'phosphoric acid 10 per cent. The oil is of great value. Besides oeing used in some parts for table purposes, it is employed in the manufacture of paint (especially fur greens and blues) it also makes soap oi great softness. It burns well. The seed is a valuable food for poultry. The seed, shelled and ground makes very line sweet flour for broad; if roasted and grouif .t forms a substitute for colfee. The marc is superior to linseed-cake for tautening cattle. The leaves may be used as fodder either fresh or dry. The flowers are useful in providing honey. By treating the stem of the plant likj that of the European llax a very tine ! fibre, nearly as fine us silk, is produced. I'Vw economic plants, indeed, are in w> valatible than the sunflower, an 1 if would appear to deserve gmtsr attention for commercial purposes in (his part of the Empire. It is reported that, acting under official advice, special efforts were made thin year by the people in Germany to increiisc the area under sunflower, the produce of small plots being received at collecting depots for bulking and subsequent treatment.