228 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



It stands up well in the field and is little damaged by wet weather at 

 harvest time. 



The methods used in the seeding of other spring grains will apply to 

 emmer. The seed should be drilled at the rate of about two bushels per 

 acre. It is important to sow early. The grain will stand a great deal of 

 spring frosts. 



Emmer is well adapted to the feeding of stock, and will easily take the 

 place of oats, barley or rye. 



A comparative test of emmer as compared with other spring grains 

 covering a period of eight years at the North Dakota Experiment Station 

 shows comparatively little difference in the yield of grain from the several 

 crops. Oats led with 1969 pounds per acre, while emmer was second with 

 1945 pounds to the acre. The lowest yield, 1711 pounds per acre, was from 

 wheat. 



While this crop is especially adapted to the semi-arid conditions of the 

 Northwest, it is suggested that it might prove a profitable substitute for 

 oats in those portions of the Central, Southern and Eastern states where 

 oats prove unsatisfactory. 



SUNFLOWERS 



Sunflowers are a native of America, and are widely but not extensively 

 grown. The leaves and heads of the plant make good fodder for horses and 

 cattle. The seeds are used for bird and poultry food and also for the manu- 

 facture of oil. Sunflowers succeed best on rather fertile soil and with warm 

 climatic conditions. The requirements are similar to those for corn. The 

 seed should be planted in drills sufficiently far apart for cultivation, and 

 should be thinned to one plant every 12 to 14 inches in the row. 



When the heads form, it is advisable to remove all but two or three on 

 each plant. 



The heads should be harvested before the seed is fully ripe. This 

 prevents loss of seed by shattering and damage by birds. The heads 

 should be spread out on a barn floor or other suitable place until dry. They 

 may then be stored in bulk. Where used on the farm for poultry, there is 

 no need for threshing the seed. The cost of growing sunflowers is much the 

 same as for corn. The harvesting, however, is much more expensive, 

 and until suitable methods for harvesting and threshing and storing are 

 devised, the crop is not likely to be extensively grown. 



Yields ranging from 1000 to 2250 pounds of seed per acre are reported. 

 The seed weighs 30 pounds per bushel. 



