146 EXPERIMENTS WITH ROOTS AND FORAGE CROPS 



SPURRY i^Sp erg Ilia maxima) 



A large plot was sown to spurry three years ago, when it 

 thickly covered the ground with a fluffy, light crop of forage. 

 It reached a height in the tallest spots of two feet but averaged 

 nearer one foot. The seed germinates immediately upon being 

 sown but the plants grow rather slowly. It belongs to the pink 

 family and is adapted to sandy soils. The second year it 

 seeded itself, and made about the same growth as the year 

 before. It did not make sufficient growth to be considered of 

 value. Upon much lighter soils, however, it is claimed to be 

 valuable. 



THE SUNFLOWER 



In recent years the sunflower has rapidly become a crop of 

 recognized value. It is grown by a few at present in New 

 Hampshire as a food for fowls. As many inquiries in regard 

 to the culture of the crop have been made, we give the follow- 

 ing data, from three varieties of Russian sunflowers grown here 

 during the past two seasons. The seeds were planted in rows 

 three feet apart and one foot apart in the row. The large Rus- 

 sian variety (Henderson) averaged from 6 to 10 feet high and 

 produced a large head. The heads alone of this variety, when 

 harvested, produced at the rate of 1 1 tons, 1,958 pounds per 

 acre. The other two varieties are the so-called White Russian 

 and the Grey Russian, both of which were sent out by the 

 United States Department of Agriculture. The former aver- 

 aged from 4^ to 6 feet in height and the heads yielded at the 

 rate of 9 tons, 1,360 pounds per acre; while the Grey variety 

 averaged from 5 to 7 feet in height, producing at the rate of i o 

 tons, 812 pounds per acre. 



Considering this heavy yield and the fact that the seed con. 

 tains a large percentage of highly concentrated food, there can 

 be little question as to its value when properly fed in connec- 

 tion with other more succulent foods. It is believed more use 

 should be made of this plant. The culture ordinarily given 

 corn answers equally well for sunflowers. 



