San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-12-21
Feeding Cotton.Seed Meal.

- Feeding C0tton-secu "o"'
About six or seven years ago l began
10 feed cotton-seed meal 10 my cows
and have continued its use ever SINCE
Nv COWS are kept for making butter
and il is necessary TO be careful o.
the effect of the feed both upon quail
ty of the butter and upon the health
Of thecows, so that it required long
time and careful noting OF effects tS
learn what have discovered IN regard
TO this feed. In the first place IL may
be said that it cannot be compared
with corn orany other feed, excepting
for the purpose of estimating or hT-
ing mixed ration for an animal
lust as We cannot compare beef with
potatoes, or butter with bread, except
ing so far as to proportion the guam
tity of one to be used with the Other
in our original diet. No person can
consume beefsteak or essence OF beel
solely, and remain healthy; and nc
more can one feed only cotton-seed
meal and keep his stock in good
order, excepting for short time when
finishing them for the butcher. Tins
will be obvious when we consider the
nature of this highly concentrated
food.
Although cotton.seed meal contains
n GREAT deal more nutritive matter
than corn, it cannot therefore be used
in place of it with corresponding adj
vantage. In estimating fat as nutr-
ment, in place of starch, gum, &c.'
one equivalent of fat is held to be
equal to q of starch, so that we have;
Cotton seed meal equals 9l.sper cent.
of nutritve equivalents.
Corn meal equals S2.7 per cent. OF
nutritive equivalents.
But we must not lose sight of the
fact that cotton seed contains nearly
five times as much albuminolds as
corn meal, and right there is its most
important characteristic to the feeder,
because therein it becomes analogous
to the flesh meat of human food.
Nitrogen cannot be used in the ami
NAL economy in anything like quantl-
ties in which carbon can, because a
very large portion of carbon is needed
for the sustenance of vital heat; and
if heterogeneous heat is too largely CIV
en-, it unduly enriches the blood, and
produces all excessive strain upon
those organs whose office is to remove
excess of nitrogen from the system
chiefly the kidneys. In feeding COW
too largely with cotton-seed meal
then, we might expect circulation to
be unduly stimulated; and this is pre-
cisely what happens and it appears
very quickly in an increase OF milk
and cream, and, if anything goes
wrong, in an attack of garget. In
pigs and horses it appears as conges-
ton of the brain, which he call stag
gers. Now 1 know this, because L
have experienced it, and therefore
maintain that for horses and pigs cot
ton-seed meal is a most dangerous
food, and should never be given; be-
sides, they do not want it, having
other feeds that are better. For COWS
and sheep it is the most valuable feed
ing stuff we possess, # giren IN modeIa-
,ion, lust as | find a beefsteak is the
most valuable food for a man: but 1t
will not do to consume it voraclously,
Or all The time, to the exclusion OF
starchy food, as bread, potatoes, rice,
&c.
After several years feeding | have
found one quart of cotton-seed meal
free from husk-one quart OF corn
meal, and one of bran, to make the
bestand softest feed ration, given twice
daily, for COW in full milk. The
husk of cotton-seed is indigestble,
and will make trouble very surely If
fed to a COW. When 1 say bran, l
mean either rye or wheat, but l like
rye best. The effect of cottonseed on
the butter is to harden it, to give 1t
good texture, and a fine, nutty flavor.
Linseed meal has quite the opposite
effect, and palm-nut meal will make
the butter soft and greasy too, al
though it largely increases the butter.
But it is necessary to watch COW
very closely when feeding cottonseed,
and never to give any of it within two
months before calving, or within ten
DAYS afterwards, and then being grad
ually. Two ounces day Is quite
enough for a calf under six months
old, and indeed have never found 1t
of any advantage to calf, while 1t
can have corn and oats and bran; l
avoid using it for any animals except
cows, OF for fattening beef animals.