247 

 SUNFLOWER-GROWING FOR SEED. 



The sunriower will grow in almost any soil and in any climate. 

 It will bear cold or heat, drought or rain. It is subject to no 

 disease, and to no climatic disqualification. The cultivation is 

 very simple. As stated, the plant is not at all particular, but 

 prefers light, rich, well-drained soil. It is advisable to sow early 

 say, the beginning of September — to secure perfect maturity. 

 The quantity of seed required per acre will vary from 4 to 6 lb. 

 It should be sown in drills, 5 feet between the rows, and the seed 

 drilled or dibbled in at intervals of 3 feet. The plants may 

 afterwards be thinned out. if found necessary owing to exu- 

 berant growth, to ensure exposure to the sun — a very necessary 

 condition. As the plants have a habit of spreading their branches 

 and heads in successive layers over each other, thinning is gen- 

 erally necessary. When 12 inches high, a slight earthing up 

 benefits the plants. Sunflowers with many heads do not ripen 

 the seed evenly, therefore it is better to cultivate a species pro- 

 during only one large head to each plant. 



The tall Mammoth Russian is such a variety, and may be 

 planted closer. It produces more seed than any other sort, and 

 can be obtained from luost seedsmen in Brisbane, and probably 

 elsewhere. 



A yield of 50 bushels per acre is not uncommon under favor- 

 able conditions. The Mammoth ; or Giant Russian, has often 

 produced flower heads 1.^ inches in diameter and bearing over 

 2000 seeds. 



The leaves of the sunflower, when sun-dried and pounded, and 

 mixed with meal or bran, make good fodder for milch cows. The 

 oil expressed is almost equal to olive oil. 



We are not sure of the wholesale price now ruling for the 

 seed ; before the war it was quoted at £12 per ton. — Queensland 

 Agricultural Journal. 



WEEDS AND THE FARMER. 



"Tt is said that man can get used to anything. He certainly 

 has become used to acknowledge weeds as his master. They are 

 sprawling like a great evil thing over the country, starving and 

 choking to death millions of plants which are useful to us. 



The tribute they take is enormous — incalculable. If we said 

 that but for the weeds our crops would be as much again, we 

 should not be guilty of exaggeration. And at a time when every 

 meal produced at home is of special value, we let millions of them 

 be destroyed by our enemy. The W^eeds. because of quite a num- 

 ber of reasons. 



Not because we do not know what to do — for we do. We 



