The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-06-20
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Money i'm SunfIovvcrs.


Much has been written during the
past few years about the value of sun
flower seed for feeding fowls and sheep.
The value of the leaves of the plant for
feeding to horses has also been favorably
noticed. a correspondent of the Toronto
Gto6e calls attention to the value of the
seed for making oil. In his communica-
ton he writes:
Care should be exercised in selecting
suntlower seeds, as there is very great
difference in the number of flowers, and
consequently in the number of seeds pro-
duced, at least so l have proved in my
own garden, some varieties ranging from
one to three flowers, while others will
produce as many as fifty, sixty and
seventy flowers on one stalk. When the
object is to provide feed for cattle and
fowl. the last variety mentioned will
doubtless be found the best paying
when the purpose is to secure oil only
the best oil seed variety should be Sc
lected; and, as | have not experimental
in this line tor oil, am at loss which
variety to recommend. Experienced farm
ers and gardeners already know that the
plant will readily grow in almost
every soil, but prefers light, calcareous
land, unshaded in every respect. The
quantity of seed required for an acre Is
from four to six pounds. In some cases
the seed is drilled into lines eighteen
inches apart, and the plants are subse.
quently thinned out to thirty inches apart
in rows, thus giving about eleven thon-
sand plants to an acre, and each plant
nrOn1CnG a nd 1,
better sorts would probably produce
many more. In England it is recon-
mended that the sunhower be earthed up
when about one foot high, but it will re
quire no further attention. 1t is said the
yield is much increased by the use of
fertilizer and old mortar is regarded as
one of the best. The sunfower has long
been grown for its oil seeds in India and
Russia, and more recently its cultivation
has been taken up in Italy and Germany.
In China and Tartary it is produced in
immense quantities, and why not equal
quantities, as cheap feed for cattle and
in memories, if for nothing else. In Rus
STA, where the production of seed is
very large, the oil is expressed
on the spot, and is largely
employed for adultering oil. while the
purified oil is considered equal to olive
and almond oil for table use. In India
one acre of land is stated to yield III
hundred weight of seed, which in the
press gives out forty -five gallons of oil,
and is there compared with ground nut
and applied to the same uses. / think
Canada, including the Northwest, can
produce oil in this way quite as we'll as
India or Russia l also find that expert
mental culture in France gave 1,77S
pounds of seed, yielding fifteen per cent
of oil CTS pounds and eighty per cent.
of cake; but the product according to
the French reporD varies considerably
according to soil, climate and cultiva-
ton, and that the average may be round
ly stated at fifty bushels of seed from an
acre, and one gallon of oil from one
bushel of seed; also, that the percentage
Of oil to seed ranges from sixteen to
twenty eight, and that of husk to kernel
from forty-one to sixty; but this may be
in some measure attributable to the vari-
cites used, though none of the reports
speak of the varieties grown.