SUNFLOWER. 621 



It is perceptibly less acid than most varieties, and remark- 

 able for fineness of texture and delicacy of flavor. 



SUNFLOWER. 



Tall Sunflower. Annual Sunflower. Helianthus annuus. 



Stem from five to eight feet or more in height ; leaves 

 heart-shaped, rough, three-nerved ; flowers very large, ter- 

 minal, nodding ; the seeds are large, ovoid, angular, or com- 

 pressed, nearly black, sometimes striped with white, and 

 retain their germinative properties five years. 



The plant is a native of South America. 



This species, which was introduced from Dwarf Sun- 

 flower. Law. 

 Egypt, diners from the last principally in its H. INDICUS. 



more dwarfish habit of growth, but also in be- 

 ing less branched. The flowers are much smaller, and gen- 

 erally of a lighter color. 



Soil and Cultivation. The Sunflower will thrive in almost 

 any soil or situation, but succeeds best on land adapted to the 

 growth of Indian Corn. It is always grown from seed, which 

 should be sown in April, or the beginning of May, in drills 

 three feet apart. When the plants are well up, they should 

 be thinned to a foot asunder, and afterwards cultivated in the 

 usual manner, stirring the ground occasionally, and keeping 

 the plants free from weeds. The flowers appear in July, 

 and the seeds ripen in August and September. The central 

 flower is first developed, attains a larger size than any that 

 succeed it, and ripens its seeds in advance of those on the 

 side branches. The heads of seeds should be cut as they 

 successively mature, and spread in a dry, airy situation for 

 three or four weeks, when the seeds will become dry and 

 hard, and can be easily rubbed or threshed out. 



