Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-17

And now you are on wild theme sure
enough, says the Texan who lives in the
state whose beautiful prairies are lined and
crossed by a magnificent growth Of wild
sunfowers-as many lines as there are de-
pressions and gullies sinking little below
the common level. And they are no imagi-
nary sunfowers, calling for a wide stretch
of the imagination 10 make sunhowers out
Of them, but, on the other hand, they are
the real thing itself-sunfowers as large
and splendid as sunhowers grown by the
people of other states in their flower gar
dens. Nature appears to have given US
without price and without effort on our part
all the sunfowers that we could possibly
stand in need of, and yet, though they ar
''wild sunfowers,'' we are by no means
sure that our theme, as indicated by the
above heading, is a wild theme; or, in other
words, that sunhower culture might not be
made a very profitable industry for Texas.
At all events there is nothing wrong in
showing up what agriculturists Of the Lone
Star state have within their easy reach,
provided they should feel disposed to take
advantage of it. The farmer Of no other
state has 80 many strings to his bow as
the Texas farmer. Already we have
pointed out so many of them that we are al
most ashamed to make additions to the list
now marvelously long, yet there is no good
sense in hiding any of our natural advan-
tages, therefore sunflower culture for
profit is now given place on the list for
the first time.
A late issue of the Massachusetts Plough
man, published at Boston, says the value
of the sun1ower is scarcely known in this
country, where it is regarded mostly in an
esthetic light since Oscar Wilde showed
the beauties that were in it But it has
other and greater merits. In Russia it is
made q source of very great profit as food
crop for both man and beast. On the prai-
ries of Texas there are thousands upon
thousands of acres covered by wild
growth Of the sunfower. No use of the
plant is made as yet save in some few
localities where the stalks are said to be
harvested for use as fuel. If cut before
frost, cured and housed, they serve as
fuel of entirely more value than most per-
sons would be apt to suppose. The stalks
are rich in oil and hence make a "kindling
wood" almost equal to the fat pine splint-
ers so universally used in the yellow pine
regions of the great South. The soil is
adapted for the plant and lesson may be
learned from Russia that will, while max
ing the wilds blossom, also make them live
up to the American idea, and pay.
So convinced are the Russians of the food
value of the sunaower that $50, 900 acres in
that country are devoted TO its growth.
Two kinds are raised, one which bears
small seeds, to be turned into oil. the other
with large seeds, eaten in enormous guam
titles by the common people, as peanuts are
eaten here, but the seeds are not roasted.
Every part of the plant has some use, even
the shells Of the seeds being good for some
thing.
The seeds are crushed between millstones,
then sifted to separate the kernels, which
are then pressed in bags something after
our manner of pressing ground cotton seed
or ground fax seed. This process extracts
an oil so sweet and agreeable in flavor that
in Russia it has superseded all other vege-
table oils.
The shells are turned into fuel, special
ovens being made to hold them. The
pressed kernels, which are left after the oil |
is all drawn out, are fed to cattle, and make
q rich fodder, which they like.
The stalks are the principal frewood of
many large districts in Russia. They are |
gathered and dried in the fields in stacks.
Each acre planted to sunfowers brings in a
ton of the dried stalks. They make quick |
and hot fire, which lasts much longer than
the uniformed would be at all likely to ex-
pect Of them.
Sheep eat the seed cups of the sun1ower |
with great relish, and appear to receive as
much sustenance from them, where they
have been properly handled, as they would |
receive from the best quality of hay.
The sunfower raisers of Russia cut the
flower heads so soon as they are turning to
ripen, and spread them upon the ground to
dry. When dry the seeds are threshed out
with light 1ails-necessarily light to avoid
crushing the seeds, which could not bear a
heavy blow. The seeds, when thrashed
out, are cleaned in q common tanning mill
and sacked for the oil works, all tho clean
ings being housed for use as stock feed.
From an acre of good land planted in sun
flowers, two-thousard pounds of seeds will
be gathered, which viii yield $50 pounds of
oil. Ten million quarts Of this oil are pro-
duced by Russian mills. This alone would
be sufficient reason for planting the seed,
but when to this source of income is added
the value Of the cleanings and flower-heads
Us stock feed, and the value of the stalks as
fuel, does not it appear to any reasonable
that we grow no crops calculated
to pay better; no crop could be more
easily and cheaply raised. 1t might need
working over once while the plants were
yet young, to keep down weeds and grass,
but after that once the crop would throw
out its great leaves, shade all minor
growths to death and entirly take care of
itself.
a grand poultry feed IS sunfower seed.
The finest poultry of the world is Russian
poultry, and Russian poultry is mainly fed
on sunhower seed. For the growth of poul-
try suufower seed might not be entirely
best, but the fat-producing qualities are so
marked that no other product can get a