The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-03-31
Cotton Seed Meal.

A South Carolina farmer writes thus
about the use Of cotton seed meal for
arnlers OF the South for fertilizing pull
poses. as they learn it is more effective ma
custom to apply 1t alone to such crops as corn
and cotton; but Of late years 1t has become
generally known that Its effects are obtained
most advantageously when It Is mixed with
kainit and acid phosphate.
The NAL contains nearly 9 per cent. OF am.
monia. but only 2ss Of phosphorlc acid and
II of potash; and therefore when acid phos-
plate, which contains 1871 per cent. OF potash
are added it will be seen that very power
full compound is formed. The usual propor-
tlons are 1000 pounds of the meal. 500 pounds
OF the acid phosphate and $40 pounds OF
kanit; and when mixed together the total
cost OF the mixture will be about S22 per ton.
chemical ingredients named are those that
are especially valuable to crops, and must be
contained in all manures that pretend TO con-
tain the requirements Of plants. And the ex-
perience OF cotton farmers has demonstrated
that none Of the guanos that are sold for even
much higher prices can approach this COM
pound in effective value.
The addition of ton Of stable manure
forms. with the other three ingredients, the
very best compost known In the South. This
com post, which Is practically what is known
elsewhere as "Furman's formula" has been
in use in South Carolina since 1877, but has
been known in Georgia and other States dur
ing the past five years only. 1t is simply in
accordance with common sense to mix tOgeth-
er in due proportions the materials that con-
tain the elements needed by crops, and 1t Is
what any farmer can do for himself.
The meal Is more valuable for manure than
the whole seed, because 1t Is more Immediate
ly available to the plants. and contains u
a larger per cent Of fertilizing matter In pro-
portion TO bulk. When the whole seed is
used considerable portion Of 1t does not rot,
but dries and shrivelS, or rots 10 slowly that
the growing crops fail to benefit by It, And
in all cases the oil In the seed retards the rot
ting greatly, while this oil has in itself no
so much value wasted when the whole seed II
In q ton of seed-abOut 6l bushels-there are
about s. gallons of oil, worth IS cents
per gallon; and, therefore, where whole
seed Is used, about Sl225 OF actual value .t'
thrown away; besides which, one ton OF the
whole seed Is really not as effective az the 800
pounds of meal that could be obtained from
1t. Accurately. one ton of whole seed has re-
ally not an effective manurial value to the
soil of $3.50, while the 500 pounds Of meal
that 1t contains have an effective value OF 50.
Many Of the oil mills, and there are one
hundred ar d thirty in the South. offer 10 ex-
change with farmers one ton OF meal for two
tons Of whole cotton seed. and TO pay trans
portaton both ways. Wherever this can be
done 1t is q very advantageous arrangement
for the farmers. But 1t is a suicidal policy for
them to sell their seed outright TO the. mills,
for very few of them will ever buy back the
meal, and their lands will be permanently
Impoverished II they VIII persist In a., selling Ias
even in its whole state 1t has an effective val
ue to the soil of fully thirty cents per bushet,
and when they are induced to part with 1t for
less price they are imposed upon.