Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-12-20
QUESTION AND ANSWER DEPARTMENT
COTTON SEED MEAL AND HULLS FOR
BEEF PRODUCTION

fermented more or less and become UNI
palatable because of being slobbered
over by the animals eating from the
trough No wonder the cattle get off
feed and fail TO make satisfactory
gains. The human being would resent
such treatment, and one should not for
get that animals are naturally clean and
quite as sensitive to distasteful and I'M
favorable surroundings as people. The
troughs themselves may be two and a
half feet from the ground and built of
rough boards with a tight bottom. The
side of the trough need not be over
six TO eight inches high. Legs may be
constructed Of 2x4s and IT should be
we'll braced.
The meal and hulls should be mixed
by weight and put in the trough every
morning and evening. The rate of feed
ing will depend on the condition of the
animals and the length of the feeding
period. Start with a small ration of
meal and hulIs and increase 1T steadily
throughout the feeding period. If one
contemplates feeding four months, and
this as a rule will be necessary in order
to put a sufficient finish on the grade
OF cattle available, combined the meal
and bulls i'm the ratio of one pound of
the former to six to eight of the lat
ter. In other words. for the first two
weeks do not feed over two or three
pounds Of meal with as much hulls as
the animals will eat up clean. Increase
the meal by one-half pound every two
weeks and feed the hulls ad libitum,
that is. all the animals will eat up clean.
Towards the end of the feeding period
one will probably be giving six to seven
pounds of meal per 1000 pounds of
live weight. AS much as eight pounds
has been fed with satisfaction There
will be a tendency for the consumption
OF hulls to decrease, and IL some form
of roughness, such as clean bright straw,
nicely shredded corn slower, a little
grazing on a rye patch. or a small
amount of silage be available, II can be
added to the ration with most excellent
results as II will give variety and pala-
liability to the food supply.
One should never forget that in feed
ing beef cattle the idea is TO secure
the largest daily consumption OF food
without getting the animals off feed.
Rock salt should be kept where the ami
mails can get it and the feeding troughs
should be cleaned out night and morn
ing IL any food is left therein. If the
animals fail to eat up their ration clean.
cut down the supply at the next feed.
This is a very important matter. Thou
sands of cattle are annually fed in the
south on meal and hulls. It Is an ex-
cellent ration, easy to handle, and one
that will give good results where care
and attention are exercised in the feed
ing and management OF the animals.
The meal and bulls should be mixed to-
gether and not fed separately, as the
animals are liable to gorge themselves
on the meal and cause sickness. Let
every farmer utilize some of these
splendid by-products of his cotton seed
in feeding the stock he already has on
his farm. Let him purchase a few
beef cattle and feed them this winter
and so supply in part the local demand
for fresh meat. He can do this at a
profit and at the same time secure as
a by-product several tons Of yard ma
nure which will enable him TO grow