The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1921-03-02
SUNFLOWER SEEDS FOR
STLAGE m BRECKENRIDGE COUNTY
Jesse M Howard Jr Sends Report of Experiment Made in
Salem illinois, With Planting Sunflowers Same
May Work in This County.

Mr.. John ID. Babbage, Cloverport,
XIV. Dear Sir: am sending you some
reports made on sunfower silage.
The reason that am sending these is
this; The land here upon which these
flowers were gfowr is similar - the
level strip of land in Breckinrid9c
county extending from Glen Dean to
Garfield.
Clover cannot be grown here at all
unless lime is used first and its true,
(although some of you may not be-
lieve iD thing has no effect, the lime
chokes in very short time on account
of the physical condition of this soil
would think that little better re-
suits would be obtained in our county.
On account of the high yield per acre
and the sunhower ability to thrive on
poor soil this crop might better condi-
tons by giving us cheaper feed. | am
extending to anybody an invitation to
sow one acre of sunhowers, ensile it
and report the yield etc. | intend to
SOW an acre, but the data from ten
would be more correct. Any further
information can be gotten from the
Farm Bureau here Respectfully, ].
NJ. Howard Jr., Farm Bureau, Salem,
ILL.,
Test Made in Illinois.
On account OF the serious injury
the chinch bugs caused to our corn in
southern Illinois, number OF the
farmers last year. tried out sunflower
for ensilage instead of corn This idea
was fostered by the Farm Bureau
primarily because the chinch bugs do
not injure the sunhowers, and also
the sunhowers seem to grow quite
we'll on poor land and during dry
weather.
Our expectations were fully realized
concerning the sunhowers' resistance
to the chinch bugs. We found abso-
lutely no damage to the sunfowers
from this insect. We did, however,
find slight injury to the sunhowers
from the cucumber beetle and also
from a fungus rust; although not
serious in either case
In answer to the QUESTIONABLE sent
to the farmers who grew sunhowers
for slage last year, about one third
of the men answered, and the follow
ing is summary of these 33 men who
returned the questionable. | think they
will average up quite well with the
general conditions over the county, as
answers came in from all parts of the
county where sunhowers were used.
Early Planting Better.
These 33 men planted 291 acres of
sunhowers-an average of 9 acres
each. Most of the men planted them
about the middle of june but few
planted sometime during June plant
edthe last of May. one planted the LIST
of July and another one the 1st of
August. All agree that they believe
earlier planting would be better
The amount of seed used per acre,
varied from three to ten pounds. The
average amount was 1-2 lbs, per
acre. 32 of the 33 used corn planter;
most of them using small plate
some used a bean plate and others
used medium or large plate. About
the average distance apart for plant
ing the seed in the rows was inches.
The men seemed to think this about
the correct distance to plant the same.
Some, however believe in putting two
seeds in a plave in order to cause
more foliage and less stalk
Is men cultivated their sunhowers
twice.
II men cultivated their sunhowers
three times.
Most of them believe that sunhow-
ers should be cultivated more than