The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-10-23

farmer has, for many years, cultivated
the sunhower for thepurpose OF feeding
his stock.
It is claimed thai the seed is equal to
linseed for fattening cattle. Sheep, pigs,
pigeons, rabbits, poultry OF all sorts
will fatten rapidly upon it, and prefer
the seed to any other. It increases the
quantity of eggs from poultry fed with
it. The Chinese have it by the thou
sands of tons, and worship it. There
can be no doubt that many of their silk
goods have large portion of sunaower
fiber in them. The oil makes most
beautiful soap, particularly softening to
the hands and face. The seed varies in
relation of husk to kernel from fifty-one
to sixty per cent. of the former to forty
and tifty.nine of the latter, and the per-
centage of oil between sixteen and TWEEN.
ty.eight per cent. On the average,
however, about eighteen per cent. of oil
may be obtained by expression. Ac-
cording to Boussingault, some expert
nents gave the produce per acre OF
seed at about 1900 pounds, the oil per
acre being slightly over fifteen per cent.
and the cake eighty per cent. Next to
poppy-seed oil sunhower burns the
longest of any in equal quantities. The
seeds vary in color, being either white,
gray, striped or black.
From sunf1ower seeds is expressed q
palatable, clear and favorless oil, the
demand for which in Russia is very
great. It is exported from st. Peters
burg at about fifty-two dollars per
gross ton, and it is said to be extensive
ly used, like cotton-seed oil, after puri.
flying, for adulterating olive or salad oil.
A considerable quantity is grown in
Russia for oil pressing; the planet be-
ing largely cultivated in Kiels and
Podal1a, also eastward on the black soil
lands, the stalks being used for fuel
In single town in Saratov there are at
least thirty oil presses. The produc.
tion of seed in Russia ten years ago was
officially stated at nearly 40, 600, 600
pounds. It is not the seed only that is
valuable; the stalk is also useful, since
by treating it exactly like flax, it will
produce fiber as fine as silk, and in
large quantities. The stalk may be
utilized in paper.making, thus displac.
ing rags to certain extent.
Sunfowers will grow in any corner
that may be vacant, and give all farms
most agreeable rden-ikeappearance.
English cultivators give four to five
pounds OF seed as the requirement for
an acre. The seed should be drilled into
the ground !; the distance from row to
row eighteen inches; plants TO be
thinned out to thirty inches from plant
to plant. At this distance the number
of plants would be about II, 900 per
acre at eighteen inches between plants
25, 900 per acre, and at twelve inches
from plant to plant $4,000. The pro-
duce varies considerably, according to
the state OF the soil, the climate and the
cultivation that is employed, but the
average quantity of seed may be taken
at fifty bushels per acre, and the yield
of oil at a gallon per bushel. Every
single plant will produce 200 or more
seeds, the main head generally yielding
800 to 1000 seeds, while there are US,
ually four collaterals that give fifty to
sixty seeds each. The quantity of seed
is much increased by dwarfng the
plants the best manureis sail to be old
mortar broke mp fine. The plants need
to be kept free from weeds. They
should have sufficient interval between
them for exposure to the sun, as under
such circumstances they become larger
and more fully stored with seed.--
american CultiUat0r.
Household Hints.
To REMOVE THREADS FROM A SRus-
Sells CARpET.-Use clean, new broom;
make it wet; then shake the loose water
from it, and rub the carpet back and
forth we'll with the broom. The threads
will collect on the broom, or roll in wads
on the floor. and are easily picked up.
For WASHING SnvER.-Put one-half
teaspoonful of hartshorn into the suds
in which the silver is washed, have the
water hot; wash quickly, using small
brush; rinse in hot water, and dry with
a clean linen towel; then rub very dry
with O chamois skin. Washed in this
manner, silver becomes very brilliant,
and requires no polishing with any OF
the powders or whiting usually en-
pIoyed. and the silver does not wear out.
To REMOVE IRON RUST OR INK SPoTs:
-Moisten the spot and apply salts OF
lemon until it disappears, and rinse well.
Salts of lemon are made OF equal parts
of oxalic and tartaric acid, and any per-
son can make them for his 'own use.
Another way is to moisten with lemon
Juice, sprinkle on salt, and lay in the
sun. II ink is spilled on colored goods
that will not bear acids, soak them i'm
mediately in sweet milk, boiling hot.
Hot melted tallow poured through ink
stains will remove them.
A CLEAN F1ooR.-The other day I
went to see my friend Mrs. Cook. She
had Just finished mopping her kitchen
floor. I noticed it looked very nice. and
asked how she kept it 30 well. "Why, |"
she said, "don't You knoe oil it about
every six months ?" "Oill" I said,
show do you do that ?" So then she
told me, as follows: 81 take quantity
OF the cheapest and least offensive oil
(linseed) I can secure, and apply smooth
ly, so that it will strike equally all over,
ana yet nOG SIauu III bpOtS Ou tuo 6uT.
face. I do this at night, after the even
ing's work is done, and fix the place
ready for use again the next morning.
OF course, it would not injure the oiled
surface itself to track upon it at once,
but grease is liable to be tracked from
it, at first, to adjacent parts OF the
house. A new coat Of oil applied once
in six months, or even once year,
sometimes is sufficient to keep floor in
perfect order. One may in this way
peepare to great advantage the floor of
kitchens, pautries, summer dining-rooms,
porticoes, closets, bathrooms and labor
ers' bedrooms. .'-HousehoId.
According to the internal revenue re-
turns, the citizens of the republic are
drinking less whisky and moro beer.
Whisky-that part of it which paid rev. N
enue tax, at least-fell from $1,000. 600
gallons for the fiscal year of 1877 to
so, 704, 900 in 1s78-a difference of near
" 6, 800. 900 gallons. For the same time,