Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-04-09
ABOUT SUNFLOWERS.
POINTERS FROM RUSSIA CONCERN
ING A POSSIBLE INDUSTRY.

The ground devoted to the cultivation Of
She sunhower in Russia has reached 7O3,- |
a. ,os, What do the Russians make of
aower crop? Oil for one thing |
ls produce 2OOOO,OO pounds of
d. "a in year, and the product |
r. 100000. Two kinds of sun
flowers are cultivated in Russia. One with |
small seeds is used for the production of
oil, and the other with larger seeds is con
sumed by the common people in enormous
quantities as dainties, very much as the
people eat peanuts in the United States.
The sunhower seed is used principally /
for obtaining sunflower oil, which, owing |
to itsnutritious qualities, purity and agree
able flavor, has superseded all vegetable
oils in many places Of this country.
In general the cultivation of the sun Z
flower i'm Russia is considered to be very
profitable. At the average yield of 1850
pounds per acre and at the average price
of u cents per pound, the farmer receives
an income of about twenty dollars 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
to the oil producers.
In the seed growing district of Ssratov
there are only thirty-four village oil mills,
producingoil worth $40, 900 annually, where
as in the town of Saratoy $4,000 worth Of
oil is manufactured annually. The sub
stance remaining from the oil manufac-
ture. or the sun0Ower cakes, being used as
cattle food, is also a valuable product.
These cakes, however, have compare
lively small demand in Russia, and are
largely exported TO foreign countries, prin-
cipally to Germany and England. The
government of Saratoy, for instance, ex-
ports about 100000 pounds Of sunhower
cakes to different countries where some
more oil is pressed out Of them before be
ing used for cattle food.
The suuHower cakes form one Of the
principal items in the export of Russia.
A HINT FOR THIS COUNTRY.
These facts have prompted Consul Gen
eral Crawford, at st. Petersburg, to send
TO the state department a mass Of interest
ing information, for he believes 'the sun
flower is capable of introducing new
element into the agriculture of the United
States, and one that promises TO become an
important industry
The stalk very often being three inches
in diameter aud about eight feet long,
sometimes bearing many heads, some Of
which are more than "a foot in diameter
containing about 1000 seeds, il is evident
that in order to grow this plant proitably
10 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 OF 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 proftubly cultivated without arti-
fetal manure may be adapted for the
growing Of the sundower II also thrives
well on newly worked fields if the soil is
not composed of too much clay and sand.
On clay and sandy soil the sunfOwer does
not thrive, as IL cannot retain the moisture
absolutely necessary, nor are the roots able
to sustain the weight Of the fruit
II has been estimated that the stalks and
leaves Of single crop are sufficient tC
manure the field for five or six excellent
sunnower crops. If therefore four-ffths
of the stalks and leaves were gathered fol
fodder, leaving one-hfth uncut and evenly
distributed the fields, it is thought, could
he made to produce good crops almost in
definitely
1T IMPROVES THE LAND.
The huge heads, the thick stalks ant
the large leaves Of the sunAower would
lead one scientifically to conclude that i
would greatly impoverish the soil on which
Il is extensively grown, but the practice o
many years proves to the contrary. An ex
perienccd Russian farmer, Mr. Taratch
kon, asserts that although il is general.
believed that all oil producing plant
greatly exhaust the land the sunhoWe
seems TO Doe an exception.
He says that he has for experiment
sown winter wheat and other corn man
times after the suunower and other plants
and the crops were always better after tn
sunnower Therefore, he maintains tn
view held i'm the village of Alexeievk
that the sunHower not only does not eXhaus
the land. but that 10 actually enriches Il
The same view is entertained by other e.
perienced farmers in the government
Saratov and Noronezh. One, Mr.. perc
eshin, says that wheat especially grow
very much better after . sunaower crol
For instance, on the large steppes in II
government OF Norouezh the sunhower
sown alternately with wheat and fax, u
crops OF which are always very abundan
whereas, IL wheat and fax are rotated, O
II either is sown i'm succession on the san
ground. but without being preceded by Il
sunhower. the crop win soon be satisfa
Enry.
WHEN AND HOW TO sow
The sun1oyer should be sown very ear
in the spring. even before the oats, or
soon as the snow has melted. 1t has be
shown that the sooner the sowing is do
the better is the seed obtained. In ma
districts the sowing is made in the a
tumn. but this must be done so late Oh
the seeds viii not sprout The grou
must be plowed rather deep, but care mt
be taken that the seeds are not burr
more than about two inches deep, that t
seeds may spruut as soon rs possible t
soil in the spring being warmed only
the surface Many farmers mOsten {
ssesds before sowing.
The sunGuwer Is sown either broadc,
OF in rows. in the latter case the Sc,
..fn..sf nfH#trfH sly fuahns ana