Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-06-24
Cotton Seed Meal.

At recent meeting of the Newbury
(England) Farmers Club, DR.. Palmer, who
had long given the subject the most careful
study, collecting facts and statistics bearing
upon the production and use of cotton and
cotton seed, read a paper which is reported
In the last number of The Farmers Magazine,
for May containing much valuable informa
ton, which may be of interest to the many
consumers of this article in this country.
1t appears that the Chinese have for cen
turtles economical the seed and used it for
feeding purposes, having first pressed out the
oil for burning. The cake left in this process,
has been fed to cattle which were being fat
tened, and also for manure Large oil mills
are established in various parts of the empire,
the immense stone wheels employed in grind
ing being worked by bullocks, in some mills
as many as fifty being constantly kept at work.
The cotton fibre is carefully separated before
the meal is used for feed Cotton was intro
duced there as early the ninth century.
The early importations into England of the
cake, were in a half spoiled condition when
given to animals but when it has been used
In sound and fresh condition, it has given
results highly satisfactory. DIR. Palmer
says Decorticated cotton cake contains
very high and much larger percentage of
flesh forming matter than linseed cake. This
suggests that it may be given with great ad-
vantage to young stock and dairy cows As
by far the largest proportion of nitrogen OF
food passes away with the excrement of ami
mails, the dung produced by stock fed upon
cotton cake, will be found particularly valu-
able Cotton seed contains considerable
quantity of the earthly phosphate, such as the
phosphate of magnesla, lime, potash, and
other sorts of potash even for the purpose
of supplying bone material to the animals, it
is necessarily valuable food. Decorticated
cotton cake and oil meal, in comparison with
all other kinds of artificial food, decided
ly cheaper feeding materials, and will ere
long find that favor that really valuable
and cheap article is to command. In
1906 there imported from France and
Belgium, 1 6 900 tons of cotton cake, valu ed
at S4l5, O65.'
1t should be borne in mind that if cotton
eeed meal. from which the fibre has not been
cleared, is kept long time in damp place,
and in a considerable bulk, kind of mould
or fungoid growth collects in it, when it is
wholly unfit to feed out, as it appears to be
poisonous to stock, and the few cases of i'll eff
feet that have followed from the use of this
article, are traced to this source, and to the
use OF cake, from which the fibre and the hull
have not been removed. DIR. Voelcker, as
quoted by DIR. Palmer, says: Sc In the
course of my experience, l must have had not
less than fifty so called poisoning cases, which
were due to the coarse husk in the whole seed
the cake was given to sheep and cattle No
instance has been found or recorded in
England, in which the judicious feeding of
properly prepared cotton seed meal has been
attended with i'll results. The fatal results
have been due to the joint presence Of husks
and fibre"
The Chinese, a thoroughly observing and
practical people, long since found that it
wouldn't do to feed cotton fibre mixed up
with the hulls, to stock, and they had pro-
cesses, as we have now, of separating these
substances from the seed and the meal In
the few cases of animals that have died in
England, the presence of cotton fibre in the
maniples and masses of husk and fibre COM
mingled, have constantly been found. But
notwithstanding the few cases of this kind
recorded, the imports of cotton cake from the
continent and from the United States, are
rapidly and largely increasing, and the con-
sumption as feeding substance for stock,
is rapidly increasing.
After the reading of the paper referred to,
Mr.. s. Wentworth said he had used cotton
cake to large extent, and it had always
answered his purpose. He has never found
any i'll effects from its use. IF used moder-
ately, it was a good and valuable commodity.
The demand for it had much increased. At
first it could be bought for ga los per ton.