Gunnison news-champion., 1919-07-18
SUNFLOWE ACREAGE Is
GREATLY INCREASED
IN WESTERN VALLEYS
Montrose Press

NOnirpEe Press
The growing Of sunhowcrs for sill
age is increasing on the Western
Slope. Last year there were some fif-
ty acres OF sunfowers grown for sill
age in MOntrose county; this year
there are at least 100 acres. Last
year there were 100 acres in Delta
county, and this year probably 300.
Mesa county has had quite an acre
acreage Of sunflowcTs for several
years. At Bozcman. Montana, where
corn has not produced satisfactory re
suits, sunilOwers have made remark
able yields. They have also been
grown on both dry and irrigated land
at Huntley, Montana. At the Nevada
station sunfoweTs are ready for har-
vest before the time Of killing frosts.
Sunfowers may be planted late
and still make a big yield. Last year
Dr. Griffith planted some as late as
July 18th, and they made Is or 10 tons
TO the acre. ". II. Bailey planted
some this year the first of July. and
Loesch Bros, have ten acres that are
are DR.. Griffith, 7. |. Lewis, Rudolph
Fctz and Mr.. Burbank.
In some instances where the stand
ed in the missing places and this
makes an ideal combination. Where
they are planted alone they can be
sliced alone or mixed with corn. III
cut in too immature state they
should be mixed with straw in order
that the silage will not be too wet.
Enormous yields are secured. |
Yields of from l2 TO 80 tons per acre
are reported from Montana station.
The Nevada station reports 90 tons
of sunflower silage per acre, while |
corn in the same experiment yielded
IL tons. The yields are considerably |
higher than yields of corn for the
same soil.
Sunfower silage is palatable. Cat
tie and sheep relish it. The feeding
value is high. Experiments show that |
sunfower silage is as valuable for
producing milk as corn silage. The
crop is harvested before fully matur- !
ed. The Montana station recommends |
cutting when one-half to three fourths |
of the seeds are in the milk stage. |
The Nevada station recommends cut
ting when the seeds are in the late |
milk stage. Both of these stations |
have obtained excellent results with |
dairy cows fed on silage cut at .hese |
stages.
When the crop gets its growth and !
is in full bloom with the mammoth |
yellow blossoms it would surely be |
trip worth taking up through the |
Hotchkiss country Just to see these |
big fields of sunfiowers.
County Agent Divilbliss of Delta, |
has sunfiowers at his home in Delta |
that were planted the last of March |
and came thru all the freezes in zoos, |
shape and are now over seven fee: |
tall. He says they will stand eally
frosts better than corn and therefore,
can be planted early enough 50 that
they can be harvested and fall wheat
sown. They are more resistar. to
cold than corn and mature in short
er season. Las year the Hot .hk;ss
Bros. at Hotchkiss secured poo.
stand of corn. They were thioking
of plowing it up and planting sun
flowers. Divilbliss suggested to them
that they not plow what corn they
had but to drill in sunfowers, which
they did and secured splendid yield
Of corn and sunflowers.
Last year Ed Hanson, at an eleva-
tion of 1000 feet had sunfiowers
that yielded 80 tons to the acre.
Twenty-Five hundred pounds of seed
were imported into Delta county this
spring. Divilbliss advocated using 10
pounds to the acre but great deaf
was sown at the rate of 6 and 8 lbs.
so that the amount Of seed used plant
ed about 800 acres.
w. H. Lewis and wife and Mrs. r.
X. Bennett, who have been camping
j