The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1910-01-13
Cotton Seed Industry.

Reach the Value of $780,
100000 to the South in the
Course of a Few Years
What the By Products
of Cotton Seed Have Come
to be Worth to the World
and the Amazing Growth of
an Industry That is Still an
Infant.
The amazing value of the by-pro-
ducts OF cotton seed is shown in the
following article which was published
recently in the Agricultural Section
OF the Atlanta Journal. edited by
Prof Andrew Nj. Soule. The article
is enlightening in its details OF the
growth of an industry that is still in
it's infancy and just now beginning to
impress the South with it's magnitude.
1t is as follows:
That this industry is destined to
play much more important part in
the future industrial development of
the South than it has in the past is
illustrated by the following figures:
At present approximately roper cent
of the seed is crushed. Suppose all
were crushed; 220. 900, 900 gallons of
crude oil would have been produced;
2.235.75O tons of meal; 993, $50 tons
of hulls, and 257, 100000 pounds OF
linters. The probabilities are that
the value OF the products will increase
very considerably. As the years go
by, but with the figures already used,
the oil would represent a value of
about $40 200. 900; the mean, $60,-
363. $50; hulls. SIS, ,950,00O; and the
linters. $3.712, $50, or a total OF
$3.50, ,227,75O. If there is any sub
stantial Increase in value in the next
ten or twenty years, and with the
largest production of cotton which
will be necessitated to supply pro-
portion of the worlds demand, it is
not unreasonable TO expect that cot
ton seed bv-products will be- worth
approximately 100000, to the
South. 1t is true that the figures pre-
sented utilize the entire crop of the
year, and therefore leave no seed for
planting. but as the yield this year is
considerably below what it has been
for number of years past, there is
no reason why, when the farmer is
educated to understand t hat it is bet
ter policy for him to sell his seed in
exchange for meal. at least ), 800, 600
tons of seed should be available for
crushing within very short period
OF time. With approximately 500
mills available each one would have
to handle 6,SSS,6O0 tons when s.
100000 tons of seed are utilized. AS
matter of fact, the average crush al
1908 was 4 ,547 tons. 1t is probable,
however, that many of the mills were
not operated up to their full capacity.
The chances are also that when the
crush becomes as large as has been
suggested that 1000, to !, 100 mills
will be in practical operation, and
this will materially increase the cap
ital invested and the number OF per
SONS who will secure remunrrative
employment from the industry. The
development of this business also in
sures much more freight for the rail
roads to handle and a distinct in
crease in the returns from goods ex-
ported over that obtained at the
present time.
ATTRACTIVE PHASES OF INDUS
TRY.
There is every reason to feel, there
fore, that the cotton seed by-product
industry is still in its infancy, and this
is particularly true when certain
phases of the subject are considered,
which have up to this time been neg
lected or overlooked. For instance,
data indicate that ton of seed may
not contain over % to 30 gallons oi
oil, whereas, another ton, produced
under quite similar soil and climate
conditions, may approximate 90 to
60 gallons. No attempt has been
made to produce strains of seed yield
ing a high content of oil or nitrogen
up to this time, yet this promises to
be most fertile and attractive phase
of cotton industry and one destined
to revOlutioniZe the business. 1t has
been shown that the content OF oil
from sugar beets may be substan'
) italy increased. 1t is equally true
that the nitrogen content OF the seed
may also be increased. The time will
: come, therefore, when the yield OF oil
> obtained from the seed will approx
mate 45 and even 80 gallons to the
ton. If the total crop OF 1909 were
crushed and yielded 90 gallons OF oil
per ton, the output would have been
270,000,OOO gallons, which Is 81
cents a gallon would represent value
of about 500 900, 900, or more than
the Gotten seed by-product business
has aggregated in any year prior to
1909. While this date may be some
what distant and some may be in
clined to look upon the suggestion as
visionary, there is an abundance ol
scientific data available t o show that
the contention is founded on fact and
that all that is needed is to educate
the farmer and to set our Southern
people to work systematically to i'm
prove the cotton seed through breed
ing for higher yields of oil and nitro
gen.
There is another direction in which
we need education. and that is on the
part of the farmers who persist in
retaining 30 to 40 per cent OF the
seed produced at home and using II
; directly as either feed or fertilizer
! under the mistaken notion that they
are enriching the soil materially by
the practice. As a matter OF fact
cotton seed oil is a carbohydrate
J that is, it consists Of carbon, hydro
gen and oxygpn-materials which the
plant obtains directly Or indirectly
from the air, and which represents nc
drain on soil fertility whatever, mol
does the addition of this oil to the
) soil through the medium OF seed used
) as fertilizer serve the crop grower
: | thereon in any respect. 1t is simply