The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1871-02-15
THE VALUE OF COTTON SEED

In the August number of DeBow's
Review we find an interesting article
on the value of cotton seed. The wri-
ter of the article states: .ea..f.
Some FIVE years ago, one of the lead
ing statisticians of New England was
heartily laughed at for asserting i'll Il
little pamphlet on Cotton by Free
Labor that, ifraised in New England,
cotton would be raj ed for the sake of
the seed alone. even if there were no
lint attached, and for predicting that ut
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 pr0phe-
cies, however, wOnld have done welltO
have looked more closely into them,
and they would then have seen that
they We're well founded, and in the
light of present facts, they may also be-
licve that the fnltilment of them is not
to be postponed even beyond their own
day and generation. III fact, the South
is just beginning to wake up TO the fact,
that they have mite of wealth III cot
ton seed lying mt their feet, greater
than all the gold of California, and on
ly waiting to be used to pour itself ont
in their laps. ExsravagaDt as this
statement may seem, it is literally true,
for the annual gold yield Of California
and neighhoring States was only forty
three millions in 1865, while the value
of cotton seed annually raised i'll this
country, and with the exception of a
very small part of it, wasted or used
only for manure, is forty -four millions,
as will appear further on in this arti-
Gle. Indeed, the effect which the util.
ization of this seed will have upon our
foreign exchanges, upon the national
! finances, and the payment of the Ma
tional Debt, not to mention the distri7
button of forty ta'r millions annually
in the South, Which is now suffering
for the want of capital, makes it sub
iect of great national importance, and
one well worthy the most careful con-
sideration. ~
Upon the seed, all the strength and
virtue of the plant are expended, and
| =. ~ l,<, all 81
the mineral and most of the vegetable
result of the years growth. An analy
sis of the seed viii show thirty
per cent. of oil; Albumtn, thirty -fou
per cent; Gum, eleven per cent; Fl
Der, seven per cent; Water, six pc
cent, and Mineral matter, seven pc
cent An analysis of the lint of cotto
will only show a small amount of veg
? etable matter, of no more value in TIL
economies Of nature than the leaf {
the plant. Nature then intended thu
/. the seed should be considered first, br
the wants of man, the iniportant USE
to which the lint can be applied, il
greater value compared with it's weigh
IS have all combined to push the cotto
: lint forward at the expense of the see
V and until within IL few years, almo
the only use to which cotton seed h;
e been put is that of manure. As a mai
ure its value is very great.
In his remarks OH the value of co
ten seed as manure, the writer say
Probably there is no manure whi
!, is so entirely satisfactory as cottonsee
: 1t never burns OF fires crop, as gual
and most Of the artificial manures, al
even ordinary stable manure will d
y unless applied with great care q
after careful composing. 1t is easy
application, not heavy to haul o