Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-02-21
THE BIG SUNFLOWER
THIS VALUABLE PLANT HAS GREAT
ECONOMIC VALUE.

All It's Parts, From stalk 10 seeds
May Be Made source Of Revenue
to Cultivators-It IL Logically Our
National Flower.
The sundower might be a most ap-
oroprlate choice for the national flower
VI our country, since II originated here /
IN the regions OF the great plains.
Specimens Of It were taken 70 Europe /
by the early Spanish explorers, aud It .
was first cultivated in the old world /
IN the gardens of Madrid. The plant
was utilized by the American Indians
long before the days OF Columbus
Champlaln, when he visited Georgian
bay In 1915, found the aborlglnes there
| growing ID and using the oil. made from
the seeds on their hair. II was raised
chiefly for the sake OF the food which
It's seeds supplied. To so high a point
had II been developed by the natives on
this continent that curing the three and
half centuries which have elapsed
since its adoption by the white men II
has not been improved to any extent
merely retaining the original size which
distinguished II from its wild original.
In Russia the plant Is Of great eco
nomic Importance, Its seeds being eaten
in immense quantities. raw or roasted,
lust as we eat peanuts. The oil OBJ
tained by pressing the seeds Is also
, widely used as an article Of diet. The
, stalks and oil cakes make excellent fod-
der. the leaves are employed as q sub
' stitute for tobacco. and the fiber Of the
stalks has high value The oil OF the
sunhower Is widely employed IN Rus
n STA. where the frequent religious feasts
4 restrict the use OF meat There are
three principal varieties cultivated In
" the cars territory-one with large
J. white seeds. which are said TO yield the
+, most oil: one with smaller black seeds,
j. which are sweeter and considered the
best for eating, and an intermediate
+. form with striped seeds, used both for
I. eating and the production Of oil.
= The sunhower has assumed a greater
i. economic value in Russia than in any
IS other country. Even by the upper
Ie classes the seeds are much eaten, the
larger and finer ones being equal 20
most mats In palatability and whole
someness. While the poorer and less
perfect seeds furnish an oil which is
n somewhat turbid and bitter, the better
- ones Yield superior quality that Is
a said to compare favorably with the
olive oil Of commerce. The stalks and
p straw OF the sunhower are highly priz-
IA ed as fuel, being IN some parts Of the
H. empire the only available substitute
m for wood to burn. Sunhower oil seems
D. to have more Of the general properties
G. OF olive oil than any other known sub
lu sfitute. sOf late years when purified
II has been used extensively 10 ndulter
nc ate olivesoii. II IS of a pale yellowlsf
od color and decidedly palatable. In
22 crude state u Is used by painters, bu
EN- to no very great extent being mixed
a with cheap paints and prepared stains
st but Il does not equal linseed oil FOL
i'll varnish. The cake left after the ex
traction OF the oil by pressure is ex
tremely rich, being equal In this re
spect to the maize cake or llnseed cake
I'd Branches and stalks Of the plant arr
q used for fodder and are highly nu
ro tritious.
n. One Of the many ways Of utilizing th'
seeds is practiced In the poorer dis
tricts of Europe, where n fair kind o
bread is made from them. Many cheal
nm cigars are made from the leaves Of III
ar plant. When properly cured the leave
i. make fair wrappers for clgars, ian'
they are employed 10 a greater exten
than IS generally thought Pulverizei
and used with an equal quantity Of "a
,ed bacco the combination IS not so bad TO
, pipe smoking. The sunhower gives
7 peculiar aroma 10 the tobacco which ]
-ls much liked by some smokers. Chea
- cigarettes are often adulterated wit
~ sunnower leaves. In China the hber o
"a the stalks, which is fine, silky and yer
@ strong, is woven into silk fabrics, an
SG It is believed with the proper maehir
sH cry 1t might be utilized with muc
~ profit in this country.
o. It is an interesting fact that the VI
- riety Of sunhower most grown IN IN
country is called the Russian. Earn
ers say that nothing fattens chicken
so quickly as the seeds Of this plan
which seem to encourage hens TO la
l. Paper has been made from the staik
!. but IN the treeless region where Il
III sunfower is most extensively grow
l. their highest value is for fuel.
y Though the economic value OF u
u sunfower has been but recently su
at iect Of discussion. its aesthetic val'
has long been recognized. In Kans'
the borders Of wagon roads and RAJ
roads are frequently lined for mnl
her with the blossoms. which in Augl
ave and September, when the flowers a
nos In full bloom, are feature OF Il
prairie landscape. These are not Il
large flowers grown In our gardel
sed for ornamental purposes, but are
one smaller variety. which grows Wild.
ny New York Herald.