15 



sec in that it is impossible for birds to consume the immense quantity raised. It 

 may be used to adulterate some valuable oil. If such be the case, it is kept very 

 secret. You can no doubt get some valuable information from our minister to Russia. 

 Any information you may secure on this subject, we would be pleased to have you 

 share with us. 



Morris Brothers, of Madison, Ind., in response to inquiries sent from 

 this office, write, under date of September 1, 1895, as follows: 



In regard to sunflowers and their cultivation, I will say that in the spring, as soon 

 as the frost is out of the ground, I cover the soil with a heavy coat of stable manure, 

 plow from 7 to 8 inches deep, then roll with a heavy iron roller to pack the ground 

 as much as possible. I, then leave it until time to plant corn, which is from April 20 

 to May 10. I then use. a rolling cutter disk harrow, followed with a smoothing 

 harrow and a roller to thoroughly pulverize the soil. The ground is marked off in 

 rows 3 feet 9 inches apart, and the seeds planted with a corn drill, with a special 

 plate made for the purpose. When the plants are from 5 to 8 inches high, thinning 

 commences, leaving the stalks 18 inches apart in the row. The crop is then ready 

 for the hoe. After the hoeing it is plowed with a two-horse corn cultivator, 

 having 3 or 5 inch shovels. The cultivation is much the same as for corn. When 

 the stalk is in bloom I go through the field and pull off the excess of blooms, leaving 

 only from three to four flowers on the stalk. This constitutes the principal extra 

 expense of cultivating the crop. In regard to gathering the crop, I go through the 

 field and gather the ripe heads, take them to the barn, and remove the seeds with a 

 roller similar to that which is used to clean the seed from broom corn. The seed 

 and chaff are allowed to dry thoroughly, after which they are put through a fanning 

 mill. The seed must not be stored in large quantity in a bin, as it soon becomes 

 musty. When stored it should be turned over twice a week, much the same as 

 wheat. The average yield of the crop in this vicinity is from 800 to 1,000 pounds 

 per acre. 



In southern Indiana, near Madison, Jefferson County, sunflowers 

 have been grown over considerable areas. One of the most promi- 

 nent growers, W. S. Dean, in a letter to the American Agriculturist 

 of May 2, 1896, says: 



Early in the spring of 1894 I planted, on an old tobacco field in the Ohio River 

 bottom, an acre of Russian sunflowers. They were planted with a corn drill, in rows 

 3 feet apart, and were afterward thinned to 16 inches apart in the row. The plants 

 were given the same .cultivation as corn. The season was favorable, and I harvested 

 2,250 pounds of clean seed, or a trifle over 80 bushels, for which I received $2.75 per 

 hundredweight, a total of $61.87 from 1 acre. During 1895 I planted several acres, 

 but on account of the repeated ravages of cutworms the stand was very poor. Only 

 2 acres were harvested, and 2,500 pounds secured from the 2 acres. As the price 

 had declined to $1 per hundredweight, I sold none, but determined to feed them 

 instead. At the time I was feeding beef for my own use. To the other foods I 

 added Russian sunflower seed, and killed a very fat beef of most excellent quality. 

 I am now feeding the sunflower seed in connection with corn and oats, all ground 

 together, to my ewes and lambs, and also have a separate department in my sheep 

 shed, in which I keep a supply of the ground mixture, to which the lambs have free 

 access. It is interesting to note how soon they learn to eat this feed and how r rapidly 

 they grow, all becoming fat and plump. I pour boiling water over the mixture and 

 feed it to my hens every morning, getting an abundance of eggs in return. Some of 

 my neighbors are feeding the seed to horses, hogs, and other stock, and report good 

 results. The feeding should be done with care, and as the grain is very rich it should 



