The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-11-20
COTTON seed MEAL.
AS A FOOD FOR CATTLE 1T HAS NO
EQUAL.
Few Paragraphs Which the Farm
er Might Read with Profit.
r.. T.. Stone, Texos University Station.

". z. Stone, Te10s University Station.
It Is desired to call attention to some Of the
practical as well as scientific features conn ect-
ed with the hulls and meal as q stock food.
The practice IL not Il now one, except IN the
sense that the whole cotton seed oil Industry
il recent, and hence none of Its outgrowths
can have been long established. Probably
the first attempts ut systematically feeding
an exclusive ration Of huls and meal on q
large scale have been made within four or five
years. These cases have been local, confined
to the vlcnities of the oil manufacturing CEN
tcrs like New Orleans. Memphis, Houston,
Little Rock. Raleigh and Atlanta, and hence
have not attracted general attention.
Up to the present time nothing like an eco
nomical utilization Of the cotton seed huIIs
has been attempted, the common practice
having been to burn them under the mill
boilers as q cheap means OF disposal, and even
largely exported to other parts of the country.
AS an absorbent for bedding stock they are
found TO undergo rapid decay, giving OFF per-
ccptible quantities Of ammonia, and hence
are not regarded with favor by those who
have tried them In this way.
The process of separating the kerkels Of the
cotton seed from the hulls, In the oil mills,
consists essentially in crushing and cutting
the seeds and dividing the two portions by "a
system Of screens and shakers. At first sight
it would seem 10 be physical impossibility
for an animal TO consume any appreciate
quantity Of the hulls thus produced. They
teenth to one-fourth inch in diameter, OF
dark brown color, very tough and teathery
and entangled In mass OF cotton hbers,
which still adhere TO the outside of the hulls
and which the ginning process falls TO entire
Is remove. 1t is apparently the most dry and
tasteless form of animal food which could be
found. 1t Is a matter Of difficulty to reduce IL
To anything like u suitable form for analysis.
In the mortar IL forms al elastic felt, while II
is scarcely amendable TO any grinding pro:
cess. Taken into the mouth it Is harsh and
dry. Mastlcation promotes an abundant se.
cretion OF saliva rs would be only natural
with any similar material. II has very little
taste and that apparently due to the small
particles Of the Kernel remaining with the
huls Altogether they possess apparently
few inviting features as food. n spite OF
this, 1t Is said that an malS which have never
seen the hulls or meal before, soon acquire an
eager appetite for them, and after O few days
prefer such diet TO one composed or hay and
corn. Probably this Is due to the meal rather
than the hulls which, as already noted, are
well nigh tastelesS.
From the large amount Of fibre on the hulls
the danger Of balling up or producing stop
pages Of the bowels might be anticipated.
such case nor Is there even tendency to-
ward constipation. On the contrary, the ef-
feet upon the bowels is loosening, which,
with an excess of meal, may develop into
"scourlng." This Is the we'll known result OF
excessive feeding of cotton seed meal In con-
nection with other materials. The hulls and
meal seem particularly adapted therefore to
being fed together, the effects of each counter
All ages and conditions of cattle have been
fed for beef. Naturally the same general
principles which apply in other methods OF
feeding hold good here. Poor scru9by AM ani'
tion,. are Improbable under any system.
Two and q half to four years is the best age,
according to some authorities; In Houston,
Texas, steers from four to SIX years old were
kahl n
ers. The best season is winter; summer feed
ing has been found Improbable. The feeding
should last three or four mon this. and the ami
mails disposed OF as soon as they have reached
q stand still In tho increase of weight. 1t has
been noted that, If carried beyond this point.
hull-fed cattle are liable to degenerate, especi-
ally on the approach Of warm weather. An
three or four pounds OF meal daily, gradually
increasing to six pounds. After six weeks
the feed may be Increased to eight or ten
pounds. During the whole time as many
hulls should be given as the animal will eat
but no more. Stress is laid upon these two
points, viz: The feeding should be done with
regularity and system, and no excess Of food
should be allowed TO accumulate In the
troughs, since the hulls, especially when wet
by the "slobbering" OF The cattle, quickly be-
| comes sour and offensive.
The ration mentioned above is that fed al
Memphis, and costs nine TO nine and one hal
cents daily per animal. AZ Raleigh, n. C., FOL
| four or five pounds Of meal and twenty
pounds OF hulls, and costs seven cents daily
per animal. At Houston, Texas, seven
pounds Of meal and twenty pounds of hulls
Beef, produced in this way, Is said to be o.
unusually fine quality. At least 1T has no OBJ
jectionable features The lean portion Is
bright in color; the fat white and brittle
The butchers complain that animals fattened
in this way have an excess Of kidney fat. II
| is also claimed that such animals shrink less
in llve-weight in shipping than others. A
steer weighing 1880 pounds gross yielded 6S(
In the local dairies In the vicinity of Mem
pills. Tennessee, cotton seed hulls have beer
fed as substitute for hay for twelve or fifteen
years, and so thoroughly has the practice be-
come established by reason Of its success, con
venience and cheapness, that the daiTymer
wound be at a loss If deprived of the bulls
| In the New Orleans dairies the use OF hulls IL
universal, and the demand so great at time!
that hulls, for feeding purposes, have beer
shipped thence from Memphis.
| Cows soon learn to prefer the hulls to hay
The ration feed Is subject to more variation
than In the fattening pens. An exclusive
diet of hulls and meal is less commonly fed
Hulls, wheat bran and cotton seed meal ol
hulls, wheat bran and corn meal are ofter
| fed. The ration in leading Memphis dairy
| Is two or three pecks OF hulls, iour quarts O
wheat bran and two quarts of corn meal dai
ly. II these and in other rntions the hull:
are regarded as supplying the "roughness,"
G., the coarse part Of the food. In this respect
they are cheaper than hay, costing only one
| third to one-half as much per ton, last as long
| and are far more convenient to handle, feet
and mix. The milk and butter obtained from
| hull feeding are considered free from all OBJ
jcctionable qualities: AS regards the amount!
produced in comparison with other method!
| OF feeding, there are no records; but the fac
| that the huls have established themselves 81
thoroughly in common practice speaks wei
| for their efficiently. It is believed that an eX
of 1t,,n nj foil tn
induces abortion. This idea is also ourren,
| In other localities where cotton seed meal Is
| fed and the hulls have never been seen, ano
COWS are are 'maintained in good Condition or
the hull diet. In one case, where only hull!
and cotton seed meal were fed, 1t was iount
cial to the production Of milk. In conclusion
we have found absolutely no reason why The
cotton seed hull may not he substituted fol
hay as dairy feeding with entire safety ane
success.
At Raleigh, y. c., a few sheep were fed upoL
| hulls and cotton seed meal exclusively, and
though originally very inferior animals, be
came "fne mutton" and the trial was consid
| cred an entire success. Also at Houston, TEX
as, good results are reported from feeding
| sheep In this way.
| From the result of our inquiries given above
the feeding of cotton seed huls to fatteninG
and dairy animals would seem TO be sue
cessful practice. AS to how far 1t may be eX
tended is question 10 be determined by the
supply OF hullS, prices asked and cost o.
| Transformation. Strong recommendations In
| their favor arc the ease and convenience o
han ding, their freedom from dust and the
coarse, innutritious and sometimes harmful
| materials in hay, snd their apparent health
| fulness and good effects upon the animal.
Cotton seed hulls cost in Memphis from S25C
to So. 90 per ton. An ordinary box car con
lains about ten tons. or If bailed, twenty
tons. but in this case they are liable TO dam
age by heating, and shipment loose or In
sacks is recommended. They also heat quick
ly when wet, even in the loose condition
The present supply is large In most OF the on
manufacturing centers, by far the larger pro