The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-05-28
VALUE OF COTTON SEED TO THE FARMER,

Ihe results of two years feeding
experiments with milch COWS to de-
termine the value of cotton seed to
the farmer are reported in bulletin
OF the Mississippi Station, of which
the following is summary:
The facts as demonstrated are az
A pound of cotton seed has a greater
value for feeding cattle than pound
of corn (2) a pound of cotton seed
meal has feeding value about equal
to pounds of corn; 90 that at least
IS per cent. of the fertilizing ingred-
tents in the feeds is excreted by the
animals fed, and may be recovered
IN the manure; a. that nearly half
of the fertilizing ingredients excreted
is found in the urine (5) that both
cotton seed and cotton seed meal
may constitute a very important
part of the grain feed of cattle with
out injury to their health; (6) that
cotton seed and cotton seed meal,
when fed to dairy COWS in proper
quantity and properly combined
with other feeds, do not iniure the
quality of either milk or butter.
With corn at 40 cents per bushel
(abOut the average price in this
State) ton of cotton seed is worth
$16.7O as a feed, for either beef cattle
or dairy cattle. At present prices
for fertilizers nitrogen costs about
II cents per pound and phosphoric
acid and potash each 5 cents per
pound. Allowing these prices for
the same ingredients in manure, we
have 5000 as a fertilizing value of
the manure for each ton of seed fed,
making for a farmer a total value
per ton of $2579. Farmers sell their
seed for 81 to $6 per ton. Some of
them sell for 81 per ton.
In a similar way we find the feed
ing value of ton of cotton seed meal
to be $28.56, and the manure to be
worth $19.13 for every ton of meal
consumed, making total value of
$47.69 that farmer might derive
per ton by first feeding the meal to
cattle and applying the manure to
his land.
The cotton crop for the South in
1897-98l was IL, 100000 bales and s.
100000 tons of seed, having a com
bined feeding and fertilizing value
of $144, ,424, 900. At S. per ton the
seed would have brought $28, ,OOO,-
900. The farmers of the
cotton belt lost $116, 424, 900 Ion this
one crop].
The present disposition of the cot
ton seed crop secures to the farmer
a very small part of it's real value,
and must of necessity give place to
practice that will secure to the farmer
the maximum benefit which he may
derive from this product.
The time will come when the
Southern farmer will realize that
the fertilizing value in cotton seed
must stay on the farm to maintain
it's fertility and productiveness.
He will not always regard the mat
ter of hauling as of no consequence
as something which he can do
without cost. IF the best disposition
of cotton seed is finally demonstrated
to be to extract the oil for human
food and other commercial purposes,
and let the meal and hulls go back
to the farms to serve both as feed
and fertilizer, then most likely there
will be a small oil mill at each gin
merry and oil and lint will be the only
products of the cotton crop sent to
the market.
The Southern farmer, however,
need not wait for oil mills. He may
get the full value of his cotton seed
by judicious system of feeding, ao-
companied by the most careful saw
ing and proper use of the manure.
A great many breeders do not