Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-10-10

thing like this quantity will be eX-
ported this year, and, as the cotton
crop is larger than before, 1t is safe
to assume that the quantity of cotton
seed meal on the home market will be
100000 tons more than last year. This
situation has already resulted in a
substantial drop in the price of cotton
seed by-products. CottonSeed meal
can now be bought in the South at
prices ranging from s22 to $24 per ton
instead of $27 to $Sl demanded last
year An even greater decrease has
taken place in the price of cottonseed
hulls, which are now selling at from
$3.50 to $3.50 a ton instead of 81 to 80
a ton.
At these prices cote nseed meal is
approximately SIS per ton cheaper
than linseed meal, and in addition it's
feeding value is a .triae higher. 1t
seems obvious, therefore, that the cat
tie feeder all over the country should
utilize cottonseed meal to far great
er extent than he has done in tie past.
This meal is very rich in protein,
and it is usually considered that it's
feeling value is at least twice tia. of
eorn. In other words one pound CT
CT corn for feeding cattle. small
portion of cottonseed meal has an even
greater relative value where the ra-
ton would otherwise be composed
entirely of feeds high in carbohydrates,
such as corn, corn slower and timothy
hay. This il extremely important to
cattle feeders throughout the corn
belt ard other states where much
corn is fed In Indiana for example,
1t was found that the addition OF one
pound of cottonseed meal to a ration
Of corn anG clover hay resulted IN
saving of 1877 pounds of corn AMI 1.41
pounds o. clover hay. This means
that if corn was worth 70 cents
bushel and clover hay SIS ton, each
ton OF cottonseed meal fed the cattle
saved the farmer $500 worth OF other
feed. With cottonseed meal a. S24
ton this is a net saving of S3l. 10.
saving we'll worth while.
AS a matter of fact cottonseed meal
has been the principal concentrate fed
to cattle in the South for years. In
experiments conducted by the Bureau
of Animal Industry it was found that
with this as the only concentrated
feed gains could be made on steers
very economically. $50 pounds of meal
often produced as much as 100 pounds
of gain. When fed judiciously six
pounds of cottonseed meal a day for
a period of 100 to 120 days does not
the steers are to be fed for a longer
period, however, the amount fed should
not be more than pounds a day
int ,-i,., -
a better or more economical ration
than silage combined with to 8
pounds of cottonseed meal and a little
fodder or slower. Mature cattle can
be wintered on a ration of 80 pounds
of silage, pounds of cottonseed meal
and about 5 pounds of some dry rough
age. On such a ration steers will pass
through the winter in exceedingly
good condition and even gain some-
thing in live weight
But in addition to its feeding value
the fertilizing value of cottonseed
meal is very high-so high indeed that
often the fertilizing constituents in
the meal are alone worth as much or
more than it now costs. When it is
remembered that from so to 90 per
cent of this fertilizing value remains
in the manure the opportunities for
profit that its use offers become even
more obvious. To put the case in an
other way: When one includes in his
calculations the enrichment of the
land he finds that feeding cottonseed
meal to cattle costs him only from 10
to 20 per cent of the market price of
the meal.
In view of these facts. specialists in
the Department recommend cattle
feeders in all parts of the country to
secure prices on cottonseed by-pro-
ducts and to take advantage of the
cheap foods that they provide. No
other form of concentrated feed, the
specialists say, will prove as profitable
as cottonseed meal this year. In the
South the feeders have an opportunity
to get these by-products at lower
prices than at any other time during
the last ten years. Combined with
farm grown feeds, such as corn silage,
they should be able to secure gains
very cheaply; and with the present
high prices for finished cattle, make
good profits. Incidentally it may be
said that if such movement tends to
strengthen and steady the market for
cottonseed by-products, this will in
itself be of considerable assistance
to cotton growers in the South