386 
Chemistry, Bull. No. 60, 1901, t. 1; Bull. Agric. du Congo Belge, 
iii. 1912, p. 717, f£. 496 (Cultivé à à Kinsengwa ). 
Sunflower. 
Native probably of N. America, common in Mexico, extending 
to Peru, etc., and under cultivation in many tropical and sub- 
dS countries, 
seeds are used for feeding poultry, and in Russia they are 
eaten He nuts by the people; roasted and ground they are some- 
times used as a substitute for coffee. They yield an oil suitable 
for culinary and table purposes, also for Misco. d UT TUM 
candle-making, soap-making, and in the manufacture of m 
garine; said to be equal to olive or almond oil, etc., for which 
it is sometimes substituted. The residue after the extraction of 
the oil is pressed into cakes and used for feeding cattle—for which 
urpose it is considered advisable to grind it into as fine a meal 
as possible to admit of easier digestion, this cake being harder 
than most oil cakes, and almost impossible for cattle to chew in 
large pieces. The leaves mixed with bran are also considered 
good fodder for cat:le and horses. The stalks yield a fibre, and 
they may be used tor paper making, though Dodge (Cat. Fiber 
Pl. of the World, p. 189) states that there are many American 
plants better adapted to this purpose. 
The stems are also burnt to produce carbonate of potash in the 
Trans-Caucasus (Board of Trade Journ. Dec. 5, 19 Hes p 454; 
6736 tons exported in 1912, Cons. Rep. Ann. No. 5078, 1913, 
P- 
ton (British Export Journ. Oct. 15, 1897). 
The flowers are suitable for feeding bees. 
The et is comparatively easy. There are several well 
Basan wee amniotik” * Prize Mammoth," ‘‘ Russian,” 
Large Russian," ‘ Mammoth Russian," *' Tall Russian," 
‘White Russian," and “White Beauty’’ (enumerated as 
American varieties by Tracy, U.S. Dept. Agric. Bureau Pl. 
Industry, Bull. No. 21, 1903, p. 352). The main requirements are 
a warm climate, moderate rainfall, light, rich and well drained 
soil. From 5-10 lb. of seed will sow an acre, broadcast or in 
rows about 3 ft. apart, thinning out as required so that the plants 
stand, for full deceat, about 18 in. apart each way. 
plants come to maturity in about four months, and sim be 
harvested before being quite pps The seeds may be removed 
from the heads—the same day as gathered, if See ilh s an 
ordinary flail or by specially iba rer cylindrical machines. 
The yield of seed has been ers at 900-1500 lb. per acre, 
giving 15-20 per cent. of oil (Cape Agric. Journ. xxv. 1908, p. 85; 
Bull. Imp. Inst. vi. 1908, p. 84; Journ Be. Agric, xv. 1908, 
p. 370), 18 ewt. of good clean seed per acre, giving 300 lb. of 
oil or 18 per cent. of the ves ME iir ‘and on average land 
