The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1900-07-19
ANALYSIS OF COTTON SEED.
Important and Interesting Deduc-
tions of State Chemist.

DovEDALE. Ga, March ], 1900
10 Commissioner of Agriculture, At
lanta, Ga:
DEAR SIR--Wil you kindly tell me
the number of pounds OF nitrogen. phos-
phorlc acid and potash contained in q
ton OF cotton seed, and in q ton of cot
ton seed meal and the price of same per
ton. want to know if farmer can
afford to sell seed at % cents per pound
and buy meal at S22 per ton and haul
each miles. Colonel Redding says
1.-The farmer who uses cotton seed as a
FERTILIZER Is acting very much against
his own interest" / want TO do some
figuring for myself. Yours truly,
j. ID. MYRICK.
ATLANTA, March 3, 1900.
To Mr.. ]. d. Myrick; Dovedale. Ca:
DEAR SIR-Your letter of March
received. The state chemist informs
me that ton of cotton seed on an nv.
erage contains
62.6 lbs. nitrogen at 1870 per ID. IS "a
2o4 lbs. phos. acid at 311c per Id. ga. 80
25.A lbs. potash at AZ C per Id ... 81
$40 II
Also that a ton of cotton seed meal
contains:
1876 lbs. nitrogen at 1870 per lib. .$1S 10
go lbs phos. acid at 31sc per lb.... 2 OF
So'A IDS potash at 4L4c per lb.. 80
Total valuation. .s2l IS
In other words. ton OF meal is worth
for manurial value alone $1L5S, a ton
more than q ton of seed. At % cents
per bushel, counting 81 bushels to a
ton, your seed will bring you $l4 "A
q ton, leaving g. 90. which the manu-
facturer has paid you for the oil over
and above the value of the fertilizing
elements. or at the rate of 49, cents q
gallon for the oil before it is pressed.
The oil has no fertilizing value what.
ever. and in point of fact is draw back,
retarding the decomposition of the seed
in the soil and rendering the manurial
matter in them less available. Now if
you are wise you will buy meal on that
basis; buy your own acid and potash
and mix them according to this formula:
Muriate of potash ...... 20 pounds
ACID phosphate. ............ PSI pounds
Cottonseed meal .............. 2SU pounds
Iotai'. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 5St pounds
Or If you desire use 100 pounds of KANT
in place of 20 pounds of muriate of not
ash. Some very successful farmers do
not think that too much to use per acre:
If you think it extravagant, use as much
as your judgments and circumstances
will authorize. You would be still wiser
If you keep stock to feed the cotton.
seed meal to them and carefully save
all the manure, liquid and solid: and
probably the best way to do this is by
penning the cattle on the land to be
manured until you figure that You have
fed them about 800 pounds of meal per
acre. and then move your pen to fresh
! ground. Then when you come to plant
this piece OF ground in cotton, put on 2ou
or 800 pounds of acid phosphate and 90
pounds of muriate or goo pounds kanit)
per acre, the ammonia having already
been put on by the cattle. In this way
you will not lose over 10 per cent of the
fertilizing matter in the NEAL and you
will get all the flesh forming and fat
forming matter Of your cottonses6 meal
converted into beef, butter aud milk.
Depend upon it my friend, this is the
royal road" to wealth and prosperity
for the southern farmer. and those who
keep in the middle of the road" will
get there first and quickest.
STATE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT