The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1907-01-10
Corn and Cotton Seed Meal For Cattle.

IL d. u, 1dlnesNllle, ILL., Ieuse
give me the relative value of corn and
cotton seed meal for fattenlng cattle,
and also that of cotton seed and cotton
seed meal.
In experiments made on the Tennes-
see station farm for several years past
ration consisting Of two-thirds of
cotton seed meal and one-third Of corn
meal has been fed with great success
to beef cattle after the following
method:
In the early stages of fattening beef
cattle it is desirable to obtain as much
growth as possible, therefore the grain
ration consisted largely of cotton seed
meal, food stuff rich in protein, or
muscle building elements, tending to
produce rapid growth. AS the feed
ing period advances the amount of
cotton seed meal fed was gradually re-
duced. and at the end of three months
the cattle were receiving two-thlrds of
corn meal and one-third of cotton seed
meal. This ration was continued for
the next sixty days and the cattle made
uniform gains throughout the period
Of five months.
The cattle receiving this meal ration
made about "a pounds gain per day for
the whole period, which is very salts
factory gain. When cotton seed meal
alone was fed the cattle only made n
gain of 215 pounds per head per day.
1t is evident, therefore, that the addl-
ton of corn to the ration in the finish
ing period was great advantage. Cot
ton seed meal fed by itself to beef cat
tie does not make as satisfactory a
ration as when combined with small
amount Of corn, for the reason that 1t
Is too one-sided food and therefore
the cattle do not fatten as rapidly as
Is desirable. OF course, when cotton
seed meal is cheap, say so ton, and
corn fifty to sixty cents a bushel, 1t Is
better policy to feed a larger amount
of cotton seed meal, even though some
waste results, than to purchase high
priced corn TO go with 1t.
Cotton seed meal cannot be fed with
satisfaction to beef cattle for long pc
RODS where large amounts are used
say as much as eight to twelve pounds
per head per day-unless 1t Is COM
bined with siage or roots or some 9TH
er succulent food.
II hulls are fed to cattle, the meal
and hulls should be mixed in the pro-
portion Of about one TO five, and the
cattle should not receive more than six
to eight pounds of cotton seed meal
when on full feed. Where succulent
roughness is used, from eight to
twelve pounds can be fed with safety.
A ration containing cotton seed meal
ms the only concentrate should be in
creased very gradually, or else the d.
gestive system Of the cattle is likely
to be deranged and they will be thrown
off feed.
Cotton seed does not make very sat
isfactory ration for beef cattle; 1t con-
tains too much oil, and therefore is too
laxative. If you can buy the cotton
seed at from IS to $40 a ton you can
probably afford to feed them to beef
cattle even with the disadvantage men
toned, provided some other form of
dry roughness is used. If you can OBJ
tain as much as SIS ton for cotton
seed and buy cotton seed meal for $50
to S25, it is better to sell the seed to
the oil mills and buy the meal.
When corn can be purchased for for
ty cents bushel it will be profitable
to feed a considerable quantity of 1t
with cotton seed meal. 1t Is impossible
to give directions for some time in adj
vance, because the crop season infu-
ences the prices of various concen-
trates, and one in order to be success
full in feeding beef cattle must study
local conditions very carefully and util-
ize the food stuff that is cheapest and
best suited to his purpose.-Professor
Soule.