Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-05-16
Artificial Foods.

The manurial value of bran, cotton.
seed meal, and other so-called artificial
foods has been so much written of that
undue attention has been called to
them, with the effect of enhancing the
market prices beyond their actual values.
The statement that the value of manure
made from a ton of bran is greater
than the actual cost of the bran, and
the same in regard to cotton-seed meal,
has always seemed rather fabulous to
us when considered from a practical
point of view. No doubt this oft-re-
peated statement has tended to cast
considerable doubt upon the value OF
the opinions put forth by scientific
agriculturists, and to add new force in
mems minds to the adage that 1.-THE
common man observes without reason
ing. while the learned man reasons
without observing" and there may be
something like this on both sides, the
one giving too little credit to these
feeding substances and the other TOO
much. But although DR.. Halves
might have been entirely correct in
his estimate. upon which all the
published statements referred to
have been made, at the time
he made it, yet it seems to be
forgotten that the values of the artificial
fertilizing Observation-Disclosures phos-
phoric acid and potash, which were
taken as the standard for the estimate
have been considerably reduced, and
yet the old estimate rs to the feeding
stuff remains. For instance, nitrogen
used to be taken at thirty cents pound.
phosphoric acid at fifteen cents, and
potash at six cents. But nitrogen at
this value should be wholly available,
existing in soluble compounds, as nitric
acid or salts of ammonia. When not in
this form the value is considerably
lessened, and in some combinations, as
in leather, wool, horn and other insolu-
bic substances, it is worth very little in
deed. And it is in almost as inert a
condition in the fresh manure made
from bran or cotton-seed meal as in
horn or wool. II this is taken into con-
sideration the manurial value of these
foods may be easily reduced one-half,
and their present market value has been
raised to high point, chiefly from
what the dealers have learned of these
scientific estimates of the manurial
values.
Farmers are paying too much foI
these waste products. The condition
their business can not afford it Cotton
seed meal at thirty dollars a ton and
bran at twenty-four dollars to thirty
dollars a ton, do not harmonic with
milk at three cents or butter at thirty
i've cents. Fifteen cents day for ten
pounds of these feeds and as much for
hay takes away the whole value of the
product, and the farmer has nothing
for his work and interest on his invest
ment- 1t may be that he suffers because
Of the competition of the tallow and
lard diaries. But although a patient
man he should not bear all the burdens,
and If any one should share with him
legimately in the damage inflicted upon
the dairy business by those who haye
no cows to feed or milk 10 make their
butter. it should be the dealers in COW
feeds and folders. and their prices
should come down or farmers should
refuse to buy them, and feed more
corn-meal, which Is the cheapest feed.
and never has had any manurial
boom at alL-N r. Times.