The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1896-03-12
COTTONSEED FOR PIGS.
A Series of Experiments Show That 1t Will
Produce Sickness and Death.

A Series of Experiments Show That 1t Will
Produce Sickness and Death
QUESTION If I cooked cottopseed
meal, or the whole seed, would it not
then be good food for pigs?
ANSWER An Bulletin 81 of the
Texas Experiment Station, there is re-
ported the results of series of expert
ments in feeding pigs with cottonseed,
and the conclusion reached, is that no
matter how prepared, whether boiled
or roasted. cottonseed fed to pigs will
produce sickness and death. The boiled
seed was little less injurious than the
roasted, the latter being almost as fatal
as the raw meal The cottonseed was
not fed alone, but formed only part Of
the ration. In from six to eight weeks
the first symptoms of sickness appeared,
the animals became dull and moping,
and lost appetite In 10 to So hours
they became restless, staggering In their
gait. breathing labored, sight defective
! skin showing reddish inflammation. Tha
fatal cases all showed "thumps''-spas.
modio breathing Finally the animals
dropped down NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. on
their bellies, sometimes upon their
launches with forelegs well apart to
keep from falling over-almost always
with evidences Of acute internal pain.
AT death quantity of bloody foam
comes from mouth and nostrils. These
| pigs were fed by the side of pigs that
had corn instead Of cottonseed and the
pigs fed on corn remained perfectly
healthy. State Agricultural Depart
ment.
Fertilizing Elements In UnIeaohed Ashes.
QUESTION IL would like to know
the fertllizing elements in unleached
wood ashes, unleached hickory ashes,
| cottonseed meal and acid phosphate.
In burning bones or dead animals, what
| plant food, If any, is lost?
ANSWER 7.-Unleached oak and hick-
DRY ashes probably vary but little in
composition. They contain, when pure,
from to 2 per cent potash, and to .
per cent phosphoric acid Cottonseed
meal contains from to z per cent nj
trogen, to ~ per cent phosphoric
acid, and l to ~ per cent Of potash,
acid phosphate, from 10 to 16 per cent
phosphoric acid. In burning bones or
dead animals, we lose all the nitro
gen which they contain, but we retain
all the mineral elements. Burning such
materials, therefore, is wasteful
method for making them available as
fertilizers. The better plan is to COM
post the dead animals with muck or
stable manure, cutting them up if large.
A thick layer of muck should be
placed under and on top of compost
heap.-State Agricultural Department..
Steawberries For Sandy Soil.
QUESTION l0.-What kinds Of straw
berries shall I plant on light sandy
soil, with clay subsoil? would prefer
the large varieties. Would sawdust be
. o good mulch?
ANSWER l0.-Sharpless, Bubach and
Triomphe de Grand are all good varie-
ties, and will succeed if you will fertil-
ize your land heavily with stable ma
nure and ashes, and put it in good order
by deep blowing and thorough harrow
ing. Sawdust makes a good mulch, re.
garded only as a mulch. but is an abso,
Lutte injury to the land when you have
to plow it under, seeming to render the
land sour for some time afterwards.
! Where 1t can be obtained, pinestraw or
any other straw makes much more de.
sirable mulch, as it soon rots, and when
plowed under adds much to the fertility
of the soil. / would advise you not to
use the sawdust. State Agricultural
Department.
/ Hardwood Ashes as Fertilizers.
! QUESTION 11.--Are the lime and other
ingredients In hardwood ashes worth
anything as fertilizers for field crops !?
| What Is the value of ton of hardwood
ashes! How many pounds Of ashes will
cord Of hardwood make?
ANSWER Il The fertilizing properties
in rnleached hardwood ashes are potash
and phosphoric acid. .
The other ingredients have no special
fertilizing properties, but do help the
crops somewhat by putting the soil in
better mechanical condition, permitting
4
rendering it easier for the feeding roots
to penetrate in every direction.
A ton of unleached hardwood ashes
is worth from So. 100 to 5000.