The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-04-15
MULES NEED SOME.
Practical Hints on The Use of Cot
ton Seed Meal as "a Feed and Fer
tiIiZer.

There has been so much expert
mental work done on cotton seed
meal, both as a feed and as a ferti-
lizer and SO many conclusive results
obtained that it has long since pass
ed far beyond the experimental stage.
But in going over the State, many
feeders and farmers ask me about
cotton seed meal as a food and as a
FERTILIZER, and about the different
grades and colors of the meal TO be
used for different purposes.
The fertilizer law in this State re-
quires meal that is 10 be used for
fertilizer to contain per cent or
more ammonia, and the pure food
law requires that cotton seed meal
sold for feeding purposes shall con-
tain SO per cent protein The next
richest feed in protein is linseed
meal and the law of the State re-
quires linseed meal to contain 80 per
cent protein. while wheat bran, which
is considered by us as a very fine.
rich food, must contain 14.5 per
cent protein.
We know from the chemical analy-
ses and from actual experiment
that cotton seed meal is by
far the richest and most concen-
trated feed that we find on the mar
ket and the more our feeders and
farmers learn about the cotton seed
meal both as a concentrated feed and
a fertilizer, the more they will use on
the farm and the better it will be
for both farm and stock and land.
There are quite a number of farm
ers who are now feeding small
amounts of cotton seed meal to work
stock, and are we'll pleased with re-
suits. 1t looks like a waste of mon
ey to see 50 many rough, poor mules
drawing out cotton seed meal to be
put in the ground, when the animals
themselves need at least a part of
the meal passed through their bodies
and the meal would do the farm as
much good if put on the land after
passing through the animal as it
would by being used directly on the
land.
We have 100000 head of work
stock in this State and if these ami
mails were fed from one to two pounds
Of cotton seed meal per day in place
Of two to four pounds of their corn
ration, it would be much better for
the stock and while a cheaper feed
i would De p great improvenae mt to
our soils.
The Color OF the Meal.
While we know that the color Of
cotton seed mea. has nothing ~ DO
with the ammonia content of the
meal, yet we are quite sure that for
feeding purposes, nothing should be
used except bright colored meal that
has clean pleasant oily aroma, but
for fertilizins purposes the color
has nothing to do with the nitrogen
or ammonia content, and therefore
we should give attention only to the
analyses as far as the fertilizing
qualities are concerned.
This season, partly on account of
the heavy top dressing Of soda used
late last year, the cotton seed were
very green and contained a very
high per cent Of moisture, and where
stored in bulk the seed passed
through a heating process and large
quantities of moisture were driven off
and seed were darkened in color
This being the case, there were large
quantities Of dark, off coIored meal
made from these seed. While this
dark colored meal made from heated
seed may contain toxic poisons and
should moi be used for feeding ami
mails, it is fact that such meal usual
ly contains n higher per cent Of nj
trogen or ammonia and is equally as
good, or in many cases far better
for fertilizer than the bright or
prime meal, and while most of the
mills are selling this dark meal at
a slightly lower price than the prime
meal, it is that much better for the
farmer from a fertilizer standpoint.
]. F. Jackson.