The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1871-02-01
Ggt planters' 8auner
familp Reaoins ano Mems STEMS.
THE VALUE OF COTT ON SEED.

THE VALUE OF COTT ON SEED.
In tho August number of DeBows Review
we find an interesting article on the value
Of cotton sesd. The writer of the atticle
states:
Some five years ago. one of the leading
statis,icans of New England was heartily
laughed at for asserting in little pamphlet
on ''Cotton by Free Labor" that. if raised
in New England, cotton would DO raised for
the sake of the seed alone, even it there
were no lint attached, and for predicting that
at no far distant day cotton seed would be
enumerated among the important crops of
this country, and in the same category with
cotton, wheat and corn. Those who laughed
at these prophecies. however, would Vaye
done well to have looked more closely into
them, and they would then have seen that
they were we'll founded, and in the light of
present facts. they may also believe that
the ful6lment Of them is not to be postponed
even beyond their own day end generation.
In fact. the South is just beginning to wake
up to the fuct, that they have a mine of
wealth in cotton seed lying at their feet,
greater than all the gold of California. and
only waiting to be used to pour itself out i'll
their laps. Extraxagant as this statement
may seem, ii is literally true. for the annual
gold yield of Calfornia and neighboring
States was only forty threo millions in 1865,
while the value of cotton seed annually
raised in this country, and with the excep-
ton of a very small part Of ii, wasted or
used only for manure, is Jorty-four millions.
as will appear further on in tnis article. In
deed, the effect which the utilization OF this
seed will have upon cur foreign exchanges,
upon the national finances, aud the payment
Of the National Debt. not to mention the
distribution Of forty four millions annually
lin the South, which is now suffering tor the
want of capital. makes it subject OF great
national Importance. aud one well worthy
the most careful consideration.
Upon the seed. all the strength and virtue
of the plant are expended, and in this will be
found stored up all of the m;nernl and most
of the vegetable results of the years growth
An analysis of tho seed viii! show thirty
seven per cent. of oil; Albumen thirty-iour
per cent; Gum eleven per cen; Fiber seven
per cent; Water six per cent. and Mineral
matter seven per cent. An analysis of the
lint Of cotton will only show small amonnt
Of vegetable matter, Of no more value in the
economies of nature than the leaf OF the
plant. Nature then intended that the se, d
should be considered first, but the wants ct
man, the important uses 10 which tie lint
can be applied. its greater value compared
with its weight. have oil combined to push
the cotton lint forward at the expense Of the
seed. and until within few years. almost
I .i.v v-ty which cotton reed has been
| put is that of manure. As a munure its va
lus is very great.
In his remarks on the value of cotton seed
as manure, the writer says:
Probably there is no manure which is SO
entirely satisfactory as cotton seed. 1t
never burns or fires a crop. az guano and
most of the artificial manures, and even or
dinary stable manure will do, unless. applied
with great care and after careful compost
ing. 1t is easy of application, not heavy to
haul out int, the field and very beneficial in
its results.
But to use cotton seed as a manure, is
almost as extravagant US it would be to use
fluur as a manure. Shat is an excellent
manure, and handful thrown into hill Of
corn would have the best results, but it GER
tainly would not be ethoughteconomical. Let
, US see-a ton of cotton seed will yield
thirty-five gallons Of cotton seed oi-and
seven hundred pounds of oil cake, the for
!. mcr readily worth fifty five cents a gallon il
its crude state. and the latter $40,Hn ton
The value of the ton of seed then, is oil 81 8
? IS, oil cake $500, total $:3,25, and ther,
3 remains also one thousand pounds of huls
!, which, contain almost all the mineral part
S of the seed, and consequently the most valu
9 able part of it as manure. The planter,thel
J, may be s.id, by hulling his seed, to bav,
d got the hulls for manure. sll as we shall shov
Q he had before, and $33,25. in addition. a,
amount equal in value toa ton of wheat a
:, 81, bushel.
), The above estimate does not take into &C
s count the expense Of converting the hu!le
q seed into oil aud oil cake, but is only give
e to show what value is in the seed.
r Enoagh has been said to show that the vn
! lue Of cotton seed is too great to permit it t
e be used as manure. and We now propoun
the theory. that by hulling his seeds th
# planter will have In his hulls all the mos
q valuable part.of lis seed as manure. and j
i. the kernel. whether he use it for stock-fet
y or sell it for oil material. a Gro, scarcel
less valuable than corn. First we say tina
e, the hull, or husk of the seed contains all tn
of mineral part of the seed, hich is tho pal
e especially valuable as manure. A referenc
to the analyses made of the ash of cotto
~ seed hulls, and of cotton seed oil cake wi
d show this. Each case was that of one hur
e dred parts of the ash in one case of the hu
. alone, in the other of the seed, hull and ai
otter the oil had been passed out.
The kernel of cotton seed is as vaiuab
for manure as any other strongly nitroge'
Gus vegetable food, but not more so; viii
II II the oil being hydrocarbon is worth no MOI
~ko~ ~. r,0ch nine straw.
ir In reference to the value Of cotton see
q oil. the Review remarks:
d. Cotton seed oil. which we have spoken
II os has lately begun to attract great attenti'
y Ms the multiplicity of uses to which it can
a applied Is discovered. 1t can in fact be u.s.
~ for almost all the purposes which other o
can be, and many for which they caonot b
: Four-fifth Of all the olive oil consumed
this country is cotton seed oil, either e
Of ported in barrels to Marseilles to return
% bottles ON simply bottled and labelled her
|" Perhaps ifthere was no deception it wou
sell us we'll, for olive oil for years has be,
- adulteraie3 shamelessly with lard oil. al
. cotton seed oil is sweet.
M, In a hundred pounds of seed cotton abo
e one third of the weight is lint. one third ke
Of mel, aud onc-third ed bulls. The writ
m states:
A bushcl of cotton seed weighs abo
:. thirty-three pounds. The hull and the kt
:. mel each make half Of the seed, that is, fi
y lper cent of the seed is kernel, and fifty ?
Il. cent hull. A ton of unhuled seed yiel
no about thirty FIVE gallons Of crude cotton Sc
Be- oil aud seven hundred pounds Of oil cal
d There is very general impression amo
e nlanters that the time il not far distant VIII