112 



acre. The quantity of seed required per acre is from 4 to 6 lbs. 

 Weeds must be kept down, and the soil kept loose and friable for a 

 depth of 3 or 4 inches. The inferior flower-heads should be removed 

 leaving only 4 or 5 on the principal stem, yielding about 4,000 seeds. 

 The large seeded Russian Sunflower produces only a single head, and 

 is less esteemed for oil. 



When the seeds are ripe, in 4 or 5 months from time of sowing, the 

 plants are taken up by the root, and allowed to dry thoroughly The 

 heads are then removed, placed face downward on a floor and beaten. 

 The seeds are spread out thinly to dry. Great care is taken to prevent 

 fermentation either in the heads or in the pile of seeds. The average 

 yield is put down at 50 bushels of seed per acre. 



Canary grass (Phalaria Canariensis) is grown for its seeds which 

 form one of the best kind-^ of food for many sorts of small cage-birds. 

 The soil must be friable, and fairly rich. Cultivation should be carried 

 on where there is not much cover for grain-feeding birds. One-third 

 bushel of seed suffices for an acre. It is recommended to dibble in 

 the seed at distances of 6 inches every way. 



The following letter from Mr. F. Capern contains useful informa- 

 tion. 



Mr. T. Capern to the Honourable the Colonial Secretary. 



Lewnis Head, Bristol, Feb. 26th, 1903. 



Sir — I beg to thank you for your cable of February 23rd, in which 

 your Government offer to experiment on seeds for me, and for which 

 please accept my very best thanks. 



I am sending out per Messrs. Elder Dempster & Co.'s s.s. Port 

 Morant one sack of canary seed, one sack of grey sunflower seed, and 

 one sack of hemp seed. The agents of Messrs. Elder, Dempster & Co. 

 will deliver to your order. I should be glad if the following experi- 

 ments could be made, but in conjunction with the experiment, the cost 

 of production should be kept in detail, as of course if it cannot be pro- 

 duced so cheaply in Jamaica as in Spain or Morocco, it would militate 

 very much against it. I should like one acre of canary seed to be 

 sown: this must be planted the same way as wheat, and also harvested 

 and thrashed. If possible as dry a climate as you have here should 

 be found, but I need not tell you it should be in close proximity to 

 a railway is also a sine qua non. But I do not know if you have 

 cheap cartage from the interior to the wharves. 



Sunflower seed — I have sent you two kinds, gray and white. This 

 seed is grown in Russia and is sown like kidney beans If you have 

 much wind they would have to be staked, probably you would use 

 bamboo. 



Hemp seed— -Of course your Agricultural Society would know how to 

 manage this. There are two products, the seed and the hemp ; I only 

 want the seed. I ne d not again say that in each case the cost of pro- 

 duction should be minutely kept. I intended to come out to Jamaica 

 myself, but am prevented, and my son will come instead and will give 

 me reports, as if I think I can grow different seeds I shall certainly 

 come over and attend to things myself. A very large trade in bird 

 seed is do le here. England imports 160,000 bags of Canary seed and 

 a very large quantity of hemp and sunflower seeds, besides others 

 which I have not mentioned. 



