The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-10-21
6otne ano farm.
THE VALUE OF COTTON SEED.

CSES OF III Lis AM -"bEb'
no the Editor of The State:
May say few words through your
columns 10 the farmers in this vicinity
on condition of affairs which prob
ably exists in other parts OF the State :?
i alludc to the almost total neglect
Of the value of cotton seed hulls rs
feeding and feltllzing material.
| wish to preface my remarks by say
inc that am not interested in any oil
mil, am merely doing general expert
work in the cotton oil industry and
while of necessity convcrsant with the
facts, am plobably as disintcrcstcd as
a person could well be in the advice
give.
was toll to-day by IN unusually in-
iclligcnt attorney of this place, who is
also practical farmer, that the people
hcrcabouts know practically no use for
cotton seed meal except rs Il fertilizer;
that neither cattle nor dairy cows were
fed in these parts on hullS and meal
AMI that il would be very ditlicult to
convince the people that cattle would
not eat their heads off if fed cotton
seed products. The fact that the oil
mill here is burning by far the greater
portion of its bulls confirms the yratEi-
tous statements. | gricvc to say this
is Il lancntabc show ing for the in
tclligence OF the people in tins sec
ton.
Now the facts demonstrated over
and over again arc these
lst. Cotton seed hulls and meal in
the ratio of to the former 10 Of
the latter make n complete feed for
cattle. In the ratio of 4 to they make
quick iattcning food.
3. From 50 to 80 per cent. OF the
value of hulls and meal are cNcrctcd
by the cattle and can be saved and
used as fertilizer IN the manure. The
testimony of agricultural chemists is
unanimous on this point. In plain
wolds il means that if Sl00 worth ot
cotton seed meal Cor hullS) be frd To
cattle $50 or 500 can he recovered in
the manure. Consequently the farmer
who puts 800 worth Of cotton seed
meal in the ground without first icr'-
lug il deliberately ihlowS away $50 to
500. Perhaps the farmer can stand
this loss. Nothing IN commerce or
manufactures could. There is proba
bly, no country in the civilized globe
where us valuable food stun is pul in
the ground as Il fertilizer except the !
United States.
3. The value of manure from cotton |
seed hul!s and meal is much greater !
than that of ordinary manure. Air |
dlird or in the condition in which COM
melcial fertilizer is sold ii is worth on |
the same basis rs fertilizers ut 10 per
ton.
Now, that this argument NAV not |
rest on general statements. let me add |
these facts: Last spring induced three
large farmers in Alabama to iced a y NJ
tlon OF some 80 tons of cotton seed |
meal they had bought for fertilizer to
so head of sorry looking cattle they
had, ranging from 300 pounds year.
llngS to 900 pounds oxen. had 10
guarantee personally that they would
lose nothing in the feed before they
would do ii. | WAS with them and lad
charge of the experiment 60 days. AZ
the end OF that Time they sold 10 head
as test. (Thc full feeding period is
from - to 90 days.) They made Il
clear profit over and above feed, At
tend 'ncr and all expenses of 50 head,
and hat II tons of manure besides
from the l. head. This manure. the
bedding being pincsiraw, was carefully
sampled and two samples sent TO the
State chemist Of Alabama. The analv-
Scs showed that in comparison with
commercial fertilizers and on exactly
the same value as fcrl,hzcr for an.mo-
h ~ Il al "a
worth S.29j per ton III the wet cunri-
ton or $40 when dried.
Here Is a still clearer illustration of
the relative value of feed md MANURE
Last April obtained permission of
one of the agricultural experimental
stations to make a test OH five COWS
they were lattcning for beef on hull>
and meal. The COWS averaged 75C
ro"mdS each. They were being rcou
larry fed on about SO pounds of huls
and meal to the five head in the pro-
portion OF G4 pounds OF hulls TO Ii
pounds of meal, or the ratio of I To l..
chopped up corn stalks were used for
bedding ami the manure trrm The five
head for - hours saved and weighed
Immediately. 1t weighed IL -
ION''''' VI 'c - l)oull'lS cIcn. | made
a catcful analysis Of the manure under
the direction of skilled chemists. and
toInd tina, the commercial value of Tie
80 II pounds of manure was ) cents,
"hlcl! represents the value of the ma
hutc from one COW fed on hulls and
meal at the ratio Of + TO every 81
hours. II is easy to figure the cost of
the feed: Gl pounds Of Eulls at Il =
cents per hundred $3.50 per ,om make
II 10 cents, lG pounds of meal nj l3
cents per pound (S;20 perlon) make rs
cents; total cost of feed for five COWS
II 10 cents, OF per head ) 44-lOO. In
inns case, The value of the manure was
o\r: ~ per cent. of the feed.
These figures ought not to need any
comment. They speak forthcmsclves.
The time will come when the commuu.
lty that permits an oil mill 10 burn cot.
ton seed huils when wood can be had
AT less than 81 80 per cord vii be called
uhclVilizcd, and the farmer who puts
Nalu1Dlt food SiniI -, a.