St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1880-03-27
FARM TOPICS
FEEDING COTTON SEED.


Chicago lire Stock Journal: The Pro
fessor of Greek in this University called
my attention, two days since, to his
cows. They will make better beef than
| can buy in market at ten cents. These
cows, stwo in milk and two dry, with
young stock, have been fed on nothing
but cotton seed-one hundred and fifty
bushels; cost fifteen dollars-since
LIST October last. No hay. "Have had
a little bran, but very little,' were his
words. have been in Mississippi fifty
years; and the rule has been, cattle
stand to seed pen, or on bank of
seed, and eat until content. Always
great cry as to cotton-seed butter being
white and sticky. Some insist lint IS in
the butter. | lived on farm in Kinds
County, twelve miles east of Nichsburg,
for thiry-three years, and my mich
cows were fed seed daily for six or
eight months. | had a regular sugar
boiler, set in brick. | also had a boiler
with plank sides and ends, such as you
describe, with SlIeet-iron bottom set in
furnace and flues | used bran from sift-
ings of corn-meal, with turnip parings,
cabbage plants and stalks, and sweet
potato parings from negro cook house;
and made as good butter as you have
ordinarily. And my wife had her surplus
butter engaged the year round at twenty
five cents. Scion Robinson, formerly re-
siding at Lake c. H., Md, I think was
with me in January, many years ago,
and expressed surprise at my cotton
seed butter. The bran and scraps were
Il small matter considering the quantity
of food. / had fifteen to thirty or more
COWS. The seed was cooked until a
lady could crush it between her thumb
and forefnger; thus the tough rind
(hulD was soft enough to be digestible.
! do not think any one Of my nefghbors
cooked his seed. One professor here,
native, always cooks his, and says his
cows pick up enough roughness about
the woods. Snow on the ground all last
week; and his cows, as | write, are fat
enough for beef cattle. For some TWEEN
ty years before the War, | never let a
hoof outside my fence. When General
Grant marched into Kinds County, by
the back way, went out in front, and
took out forty-seven head of mich cows,
two bulls, dozen brood mares, stall
lion and jack. My steers and wethers |
had killed to feed our soldiers; taking
some seventy-fve head of ewes and
rams, all pure blood. This will give
you an idea that one cotton-p planter had
stock, as made my own meat always,
and all | needed, killing often 10000
pounds. | cooked food for fattening
hogs always. l do know that there is
no difficulty in feeding mich cows and
calves with cotton seed, well cooked. If
fed green, and in quantities, stock are
purged too freely to take on fat Or flesh,
or secrete milk. give my name, for |
am anxious that our people should feed
cotton seed and save manure.
SPANISH CHUFAS.
This plant, known to botanists as the
cyperus esculentus, is attracting consid-
cradle attention as food crop for
sheep, swine and poultry. 1t was intro
duced into this country by the agricul-
tural department, at Washington, about
a quarter of a century ago. There is
considerable prejudice existing against
the chufas in some parts of the South,
on account of its resemblance to the
"coco'' grass (cgperas hydra) which is
one Of the most annoying pests with
which the southern cultivator is trou-
bled. But though belonging to the
same genus, it does not possess those
qualities that render that grass such a
nuisance. We are assured by those who
no trouble to get rid of it where it is not
desirable to have it grow longer. Ii the
hogs and poultry are given the run of
the grounds, they will completed eradi-
cate it. As to the value of this crop, all
agree that it is hardly surpassed, if
equaled, by any other crop. As past
ure for sheep, it is claimed by those who
have raised it to possess great merit.
A man writing from Georgia says: eff
any one wishes a sheep pasture, fresh,
green and unfailing during the parch-
ing drouths of summer, he can have it
by planting the Spanish chufa, or
earth almond.' "The grass will grow
from two to four feet high, uninjured by
drouth or heat, affording an abundance
of rich, tender, sweet heritage, until
frost, and an increased yield OF roots"
For hog feed, it is claimed that crop Of
chufas is among the most profitable that
can be produced. The writer just al
luded to asserts that he raised cover
one hundred bushels - per acre. A wri-
ter from Arkansas, says: 81 am conf
dent that they will yield one hundred
bushels per acre, and am satisfied that
they will fatten as many hogs as the
same amount of corn, if not more; while
it takes only half the work to raise
them" A correspondent of the Farm
ers' V1ndicator says: 'The Spanish
chufa is the best and cheapest food for
swine-raising, because one acre will
feed as much as four acres of corn
A correspondent of the Southern Farmer
declares that one acre in chufas is equal,
for fattening hogs, to forty acres in
corn. The New Orleans Farm Jour-
nal, commenting ON this, says:
/" We think the statement referred to a
little enthusiastic, but do not consider it
very far out of the way, because our ex-
perience for a good many years, in the
main, corroborates his estimate of the
value of this too much neglected chick
en- and hog feed. Similar statements
to the above are so frequently met with,
among those who have tried this crop,
that there seems little doubt that this
plant is a valuable crop for the purpose
OF feeding hogs. AS to the fattening