Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-08-24
MONEY IN sUNFLowERs.
The Seeds Make y Fine OIL, the Stalks Ex-
celIent Fuel.

the Russians make OF this SunfiOWer
crop? OIL for one thing. Their mills
produce twenty million pounds of sun
flower oil in year, and the product
sells for one million dollars. Two
kinds of sunflowers are cultivated in
Russia. One, with small seeds, is used
for the production of oil, and the 9TH
err, with larger seeds, is consumed by
the common people in enormous quanti-
ties as dainties, very much as the peo-
pie eat peanuts in the United States.
The sunhower seed is used principal
ly for obtaining sunfower oil, which,
owing to it's nutritious qualities, purity
and agreeable flavor, has superseded all
vegetable oils in many places of this
country.
In general, the cultivation of the sun
flower in Russia is considered to be very
profitable At the average yield of 1850
pounds per acre, and at the average
price OF nc per pound, the farmer re-
ceives an income of about $50 per acre.
This income can be increased in those
districts where the grower himself is
engaged in producing the oil from the
seed. However, oil mills are very rare
in the villages, the farmers selling their
seed 20 the oil producers. In the seed
growing district of Saratov there are
only thirty-four village oil mills, pro-
ducing oil worth $4,000 annually,
whereas in the town of Saratov S450, 900
worth of oil is manufactured annually.
The substance remaining from the oil
manufacture, or the sunf1ower cakes,
being used as cattle food, is also a val
liable product. These cakes, however,
have comparatively small demand
in Russia, and are largely exported
to foreign countries, principally TO
Germany and England. The govern
ment of Sarstov, for instance, exports
about 2,0OO,O pounds of sunflower
cakes 10 different countries, where some
more oil is pressed out of them before
being used for cattle food. The sun
flower cakes form one of the principal
items in the exports of Russia.
The stalk often being three inches in
diameter and about eight feet long,
sometimes bearing many heads, sc me of
which are mere than foot in diameter,
containing about 1000 seeds, it is evil
dent that in order to grow the plant
profitably it is absolutely necessary to
have very fertile soil, which at the
same time must be very compact and
sufficiently deep TO sustain the stalk
with its roots. The best soil for this
purpose is mold or black land mixed
with sand. On meager soil the seeds
grow fiat and small, whereas on stout
soil round, heavy and rich seeds are OBJ
tanned. Soil where potatoes and peas
have been cultivated without artifi-
cial manure may be adopted for the
growing of the sunfower. 1t also
thrives well on newly-worled fields if
the soil is not composed of too much
clay and sand. On clay and sandy soil
the sunfower does not thrive, as it can
not retain the moisture absolutely nee
essary, nor are the roots able to sus-
tain the weight of the fruit.
1t has been estimated that the stalks
and leaves of a single crop are sufficient
to manure the field for five or six excel
lent sunhower crops. If, therefore
four-fifths of the stalks and leaves were
gathered for fodder, leaving one-fifth
uncut and evenly distributed, the fields,
it is thought, could be made to produce
good crops almost indefinitely.
The huge heads, the thick stalks, and
the large leaves of the sunflower would
lead one scientifically to conclude that
it would greatly impoverish the soil on
which it is extensively grown, but the
practice of many years proves to the
contrary. An experienced Russian
farmer (Mr. Tarachkoff) asserts that,
although it is generally believed that
all oil-producing plants greatly exhaust
the land, the sunflower seems to be an
exception. He says that he has, for ex-
pertinent, sown winter wheat and other
corn many times after the sunfower and
other plants, and the crops were
always better after the sunflower.
Therefore he maintains the view held
in the village of Alexelevka that the
sunflower not only does not exhaust the
land, but that it actually enriches it.
The same view is entertained by other
experienced farmers in the government
of Saratov and Voronezh.
The sunflower stalks gathered from
the fields and dried in piles have entire
ly replaced firewood in fact, these
stalks are preferred even TO pine wood
producing quick and hot flame fire
About 1000 pounds of such firewood
are gathered from an acre Of land, thus
adding a great boon 10 district where
wood is scarce. Sunhower shell Is are
also used for heating purposes, not only
in private houses, but in large fac
tories as well. They are burned in
ovens especially prepared for their con-
sumption.
The ashes of the sunhower contain a
high percentage of potassium. The ex-
periments of Hermbstedt have proved
that 1000 pounds of dried stalk WELD
57.2 pounds of ash, and from l ,0OC
pounds of ash are obtained SAC pounds
of the best potassium. An entire ripe
sunhower plant without the root con
tains about 20 grams of mineral sub
stances, whereof about 12 grams ar,
potassium. The farmers In Russia sci
their ashes TO the soap works for q YER,
low price instead of using them for tn,
field
Sunfower cakes are looked upon a
the best food for cattle in that country
they are considered better even thar
hemp or rape-seed cakes Besides cattle
fowls are fed with sunflower cakes: an,
horses fed on them are made strong
sleek and sprightly. The dried-see
cups, II ground, are useu IN many dis
tricts as food for cattle, and PRACTICAL
for sheep, with great success.
According to the estimate OF the Las
two years, the total export of sunfowe
cakes from Russia was 9s, 900, 900 pound
in 1883, and so, O00, 900 pounds, valued q
about s7OO, 900, in 1890 Besides Ores
Britain and Germany, Denmark an
Sweden import great quantities of Ru
sian sunfowers; in fact, the export
Denmark in the last two years has bee
even larger than to Germany.-Chicag
Tribune.
HAVING A TOOTH PULLED.
The Trials of an Unhappy Victim Of Tooth
ache.
The toothache-that misery to whic
all mankind are subject-comes upo