Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-19
CYRUS W. FIELDS sUNFLowERs.
They Arc Not Only Things of Beauty
but of Utility as Well.

but of Utility Well.
Tears Of ecstasy would have filled the
eyes Of the now obsolete, but always
aesthetic, Oscar. Wilde could he have
stood and viewed the field of sunfowers
cultivated by Cyrus w. Field on his
country estate, Ardsley, near Tarry-
town, on the Hudson. The sunfowers
covered an entire acre, and with heads
heavy and dropping from the recent rain
they were just lifting their faces to the
morning sun, their bright yellow petals
in pleasing contrast with their dark CEN
ter of green and brown. 1t was an array
of giants. The tough green stalks would
have averaged over six feet in height,
and some of them lowered up to seven
feet.
But these flowers are not cultivated
alone to crafty Mr.. Fields aesthetic
taste. The man who connected America
and Europe with an electric cable is
nothing if not practical. He believes
in uniting beauty and utility. So, when
he drives out by the sunfower grove,
and his love for the beautiful is touched
by that sea of bobbing yellow heads, the
practical part of his nature finds solid
comfort in the thought that these flow
ers are put to good use. Others may de-
light in the tender orchid or the gay
chrysanthemum, with their endless va
riety of shades, but these are only fair to
look upon. Not so with the hardy yell
low bloomer, which Mr.. Field loves so
WELL
When the frosts of autumn shrivel up
the petals of the flowers and the center
turns deep, rich brown, then the tops
of the flowers are carefully cut and hung
up to dry. In about a month the little
black fiat seeds which fill the head of
the flower are thrashed out and fed to
the chickens in Mr.. Fields extensive
henneries. So, on the days when fine
specimen from the coops lies on his back,
nicely Drowned, in the platter, with his
drumsticks lifted heavenward, Mr.. Field
naturally reflects in the strain of the
familiar nursery rhyme, "This is the
cock that ate the seed that grew on the
top of my sunf1ower weed"
And how gratifying must be the
thought that the beauty of the summer
has been transformed into the toothsome
breast and tender wing. This reflection
might escape the aforesaid Oscar, but it
is no doubt a source of much pleasure to
the millionaire who cultivates and ad-
mires the same flower.
"Do you SOW new seeds for these sun
flowers every spring." was asked of Fred
Allison, who has charge of the field.
EYES," he said, 1--WE plant new seed
every year, and put them in hills as we
SOW corn. About the middle of Septem-
Der we cut off the tops, hang them up to
dry, and in another month they are
ready to shell. We mix the seeds with
the other chicken feed"
"How many chickens do you keep"
he was asked.
"About two thousand" he said, las
that number takes up all the space in
our three houses. From these chickens
we gather over three thousand dozen
eggs each year. All eggs that the fami-
lies do not use we sell. There are three
families to supply-Mr. Field, his son.
Edward NJ. Field, and his son-in-law, D.
A. Lindley-and they use from fifty to
sixty dozen eggs week"
'Do you keep ducks?"
Eyes, we have about six hundred
ducks and about sixty geese. We sell
what ducks we don't want for home use,
but the chickens we keep, as the fami-
lies use a great many. The three fami-
lies use from fifteen to eighteen chick
ems, four or five ducks and about two
geese week. New York Times.