10 Oct., 1918.] 



The Sunfloivdr. 



625 



Table 3 gives a brief summary of tlie entire experiment. The figures 

 show that fourteen cows, while receiving the ration of grain and clover 

 hay, gained on the average 5 lbs. more per head in 2'8 days than while 

 they received the ration containing sunflower ensilage. The grain ration 

 was the same throughout the entire experiment, and an average daily 

 feed of 34 lbs. of sunflower ensilage effected a daily saving of 9 lbs. 

 of clover hay per cow. There was a slight increase in production while 

 the cows were receiving the sunflower ensilage. This increase amounted 

 to 0.98 of a pound of milk and 0.077 of a pound of butter-fat. This 

 difference was too small to be of significance, except as indicating that 

 there was no reduction in milk or butter-fat production due to the feeding 

 of sunflower ensilage in place of a part of the clover hay in the ration. 

 The data presented indicate that under the conditions of this experiment 

 1 lb. of choice clover hay is equal to 8| lbs. of sunflower ensilage. 



Table 3. 

 Summary op Experiment. 



The milk from cows fed with sunflower was sampled and tested for 

 flavour, but no objectionable flavours or change in the milk could be 

 detected. 



Uses of the Sunflower Plant. 



A fair quantity of ensilage may be prepared from the whole plants, 

 but the stems and leaves alone would be less nutritive. The 

 dry stems contain nearly 5 per cent, of their weight in potash, and if 

 chopped up fine and used as manure they would be a useful source of 

 potash, in addition to supplying humus and a small amount of phos- 

 phoric acid and nitrogen to the soil. The fibre of the stalk yields a 

 fairly tough, opaque, parchment — like paper of fair quality. Bj treat- 

 ing the stems of the plant in the same way as European flax, a very fine 

 fibre, nearly as fine as silk, is produced. The entire mature plant in a 

 fresh state has the following composition (Bulletin of Imp. Ins., vol. 

 XIY., 'No. 1, 1916) :— 



Per cent. 



85.21 



Moisture 



Fat 



Crude proteins 



Carbohydrates, &c 



Fibre 



Ash 



1.03 

 1.70 

 6.14 

 4.00 

 1.92 



