The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-01-12

Feeding cottcn-seed Meal.

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The writer has had some expert
ence with cotton seed meal as a
stock food, and as there seems some
doubt as to its value, and the man
ner of feeding it, and inquiries as to
best plan, 1 beg to give you the re-
suit of my own experiments and OBJ
servation for some years past, In
feeding it to mich COWS, sheep and
hogs. As cotton seed meal comes
from the mill, it is in admirable con
dition to mix and be diluted with
bran, corn meal and rice flour, or
any article in the same form, with
which it can be mixed thoroughly
and be distributed equally to ami
mails feeding promiscuously. 1t is
a very concentrated, nitrogenized
Tor albuminoid) substance, and will
bear extreme dilution. 1t is not |
proper, under any circumstances, to
feed it alone. 1t will kill sheep as
suddenly as any poisonous food, if
permitted to goI ge themselves with !
it pure, or even slightly diluted. l.
have had sheep to die at the trough |
by gorging themselves-improperly
fed by careless manager, a few
having had access to the quantity
designed for a whole flock. This
animal is exceedingly fond of it, and
requires little education to eat it the
wear round. He will take to it as
ravenously as pigs to slop- trough.
Cows and hogs like it also, and can
be made sick, and dangerously so,
by the same careless manner OF put
ting the meal before them in It's
concentrated form, as it comes from
the mill. 1 have never made it a
food for horses and mules, but know
that, when properly mixed with
corn meal or bran, they will eat 1t.
A horse can be taught to eat any
thing, if commenced with while a
colt. His taste and habits are about
as susceptible of education and
variety as those Of a human being.
He can become omniverous with
seeming better health and develop
ment and longevity; for I am sure
that a variety of food will promote
longevity with the horse as well as
his master, and that more horses
and mules gre starved to death, or
diseased with just one continued
diet until worthless, than are worn
out by the work they could well
perform if properly fed with what
they really wanted. 1t were well,
then, if, in the scarcity of grain pro-
ducts (that stares in the face of the
whole south }, this plentiful product
could be utilized to maintain work
animals, and the more to be appre
ciated if, as has heen asserted by
highest agricultural authority, ton
Of manure made from cotton seed
cake or meal is worth as much as
the article per ton, before passing
into the stomach Of the animal
This would seem very important
item in the economy of its use, and
there is no difficulty in its proper
preparation, save to get the cotton
seed worked into meal In that
form, the manipulation can be
readily done on the farm or planta-
ton. My plan Of mixing has been
as follows: Four bushels of wheat
bran, one bushel OF corn meal, one
bushel of cotton seed meal (by
measurement; put into a large
4 barrel or cylinder with spikes driven
in it, place this upon an axle so as
to revolve, thus mixing the mass
thoroughly before it is emptied into
a large box or bin. One hand in a
short time could mix a quantity of
this food. Four or six quarts is a
meal for mich cow, with hay or
fodder or cut straw, night and morn
ING. Prepared in this form, any
stock will eat it. This can be made
richer and more concentrated by
leaving out bushel or so of wheat
bran and adding one bushel of COW
pea meal to this mixture. Milk will
not be injured in taste by this dilu
ton. Given to the cow excessively
in a purer state, cotton seed meal
ruins the taste of butter or milk.
It is wonderful how half starved
COW will sleek off and improve in
flesh if fed with the above food
Calves come rapidly along with but
little milk allowed them as soon as
they get to eating this preparation.
A careful manager will notice any
disposition to diarrhea on the part
of the animal, and lessen or with
hold the food entirely, until the
animal is well. In feeding mich
COWS, especially, with this highly
concentrated diet, care must be
taken not to exhibit it a month or
so before calving, and withhold it
after calving until the animal has
passed all danger of fever or garget.
1t is dangerous food to any ami
NAL about this period, as, indeed, is
any highly fattening food that would
create heat and fever. l am i'm
pressed, also, with the fact that
cotton seed meal is a better winter
food than for summer in our climate,
and we need it, more especially for
grazing animals, during the winter
months. l am not so sure but a
continued feeding of it during warm
weather might produce, in my sec
ton, a disposition to murrain or
hemorrhaic fever with young cattle.
L think 1 have experienced this
difficulty. If used during summer,
it should be excessively diluted with
other articles and withheld occas
ionally. Sometimes the animals
appetite pals, and he refuses to eat
it; then it should be withheld,
We have in this wasted, unappre
ciated element a wealth of mutton,
beef and milk, when our people learn
to estimate cotton-seed prepared
and fed intelligently. AS a food,
in the seed, undecorticated, / look
upon it as injurious, even dangerous,
to any stock. l never could make
anything of it fed in the rough state.
Cattle, with turnips and corn
mixed, will eat few seed at first
but are made sick and grow tired of
them. Sheep come nearer digest
ing, after mastication, the hull and |
lint, but am not sure that they do |
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