Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1890-07-10
FARMER AND PLANTER.
ROASTING COTTON SEED.
One of the Pork-hiaking Ingredients OF
the South in Future.


One of the Pors-Making Ingredients OF
the South in Future.
The undated interest manifested in
the subject of roasted cotton seed for
feeding purposes induces me to write
further in regard to its value and uses,
and in so doing will answer some OF the
many questions that are asked about 1T;
and if / fail to make it plain that their
value is much increased by being roast
ed, l hope at least that many readers
will try experiments in a small way to
see how great change is effected by
slightly roasting the seed.
An intelligent gentleman who is much
interested in the matter, desires to know
If it would be proper or possible to feed
the meal in large quantities or for
considerable length of time, and
claims that an analysis OF the
meal shows it to be too rich food
to be fed alone that is, that it does
not contain a complete food ration of
itself, but must be used in connection
with other food to attain the best re-
suits. This is undoubtedly true to some
extent, aud it applies as we'll to corn as
to cotton seed; but the roasting process
makes 1T possible to be fed in much
larger quantities, and, l am certain,
with much better results. The theory
deduced from a chemical analysis is
often sadly marred by practical dem
onstration, and / have seen so many OF
them in regard to cotton-seed complete
ly up set that l have lost good deal OF
confidence in chemistry. Not long since
wrote to a well-known authority on
agricultural chemistry as to whatw would
be the result of feeding cattle food
containing twenty per cent. OF potash,
and he replied on a postal card that II
it was continued for any length OF time
/ would have some hides to sell to the
tannery
Now, / am not so sure Of that Cot
ton seed bulls contain twenty-seven per
cent. of potash. They contain little or
nothing that the chemist admits is ami
NAL food, yet ten thousand head of cat
tie have been fed and fattened about
the oil mills this last winter. Their
sole food was cotton-seed hulls, with
an admixture of oil-mill meal; other
thousands of cattle have been wintered
on the hulls alone, purchased by farm
ers from the mills, where it has been
convenient to do so. For years it was
the custom to burn the bulls at the
mills as fuel for the engine, but cattle
cat them as freely as they will eat hay,
and thrive quite as well upon them.
/ had hoped to have inserted with
this number an engraving of cotton
seed rooster which embodies the best
results of a number of years of ex-
perience and experiment, but it is too
long for this publication, and | can not
have suitable one prepared in time.
OF the many devices have tried moth
ing but revolving cylinder will an
Bwer the purpose at all. 1t must be
constantly agitated while over the fire,
and no pan or oven, no matter how
large, will do, as the seed must be
brought in contact with the fire but an
instant at time, and this can only be
secured by the rolling motion given it
in revolving cylinder which scorches
off the lint and cooks it to any degree
in very short time.
And | soon found also that closed
cylinder would not answer. The seed
-~..Oarn large amount of moistu-o
which must be eliminated before the
roasting begins. The numberless de-
vices to secufe this has led to making
the cylinders of woven wire cloth, woven
to size that the seed would not pass
through, and this has practically solved
this question of roasting seed in "a prac.
tcal way, the heat and flame passing
through the woven wire cylinder,
scorched off the lint, evaporated the
moisture and roasted the seed in very
few minutes.
Cotton seed is so cheap that but lit
tic labor or expense must be incurred
in roasting, or it would not be profta
BILE to do so. All my experiments
have been to combine simplicity
cheapness, durability and practia
bility; without these it could be o.
little use to the average planter. If the
feeding value of bushel of raw seed is
fifteen cents, and it is doubled by being
roasted, the planter has gained butlittle
If it costs him fifteen cents bushel tt
roast it. So soon as had satisfied my
self of the value of roasted seed | con
fined my efforts to processes by which
they could be roasted rapidly and cheap
ly. The question of feeding them whole
or grinding them into meal is one tina
each can settle for themselves but my
own experience is that it is better tC
grind them and grind them rather fine
They are so dry and brittle that they
grind rapidly in any sort OF mill. l dt
not sift them, but the lint it contain:
land there will be some) is readily
separated by being shaken in box Of
n ~