26 MARCH 1948, Page 14

In the Garden

A number of people who keep a few poultry are inclined to grow sun- flowers for the sake of the oily seeds. Now sunflowers (which an Argen- tine farmer once said to me "make the best olive oil ") are of several sorts, and I am assured that much the best for the English climate are the semi-dwarfs which do not exceed four feet in height. On the only farm with the crop I have seen in my neighbourhood the giants were grown, and the whole crop was eventually wasted (except so far as wild birds and mice were concerned) because of the late ripening and the difficulty of harvesting. As to another garden or farm crop that is popular in the Argentine and growing more popular in England, the best sweet corn is said to be John Innes Hybrid ; but nowadays all seed merchants can supply varieties that will ripen in our climate if sowed in good time