Fergus County Democrat., 1915-04-22
cOTTONSEED MEAL FOR BEEF
CATTLE.

COi iONSGGO WGAc VSr oC6'
CATTLE.
WASHINGTON, d. c., April 10. -
Five times as many farmers as at
present. should be using cottonseed
meal, according to specialists in the
United States department of agricul-
ture. 1t has slightly greater feed
ing value than linseed oil meal and
the farmer is therefore recommended
to secure prices on both and to use
the one which happens to te the
cheaper at the time. During the past
winter cottonseed meal sold for $24
to $2S ton, while linseed oil meal
cost about $38 ton. Under such
conditions the feeder using cotton
seed meal had ? great advantage over
the farmer using linseed meal.
Cottonseed meal contains from 38
to As per cent. protein and is there
fore one of the most concentrated
feedstuffs upon the market. There
are in fact very few vegetable feeds
which have anything like this per-
centage OF protein. 1t value has
perhaps been more thoroughly appre-
ciated in Europe than in this country
despite the additional cost of shipping
1t abroad. During 1915, for example,
about 100000 tons of the meal were
exported to Europe. Much OF what
remained in this country was used as
fertilizer. so that 1t has been esti-
mated that American cattle were fed
less than one-half of the total guam
tfty Of meal produced in the country.
There is, however, a growing tend
ency at the present time to use the
meal as supplementary feed.
In new publication of the United
States Department Of Agriculture
Farmers Bulletin 655, "Cottonseed
Mealf or Feeding Beef Cattle,' one
pound of cottonseed meal is said to
be usually worth as much as two
pounds of corn for feeding cattle.
There is. however, a distinct limit to
the quantity of the meal that animals
can use economically. In the south
it was formerly the custom to feed
steers very heavily on the by-products
of the cottonseed oil mills, IL to Is
pounds of meal day being not
infrequent ration. Such heavy feed
ing frequently caused blindness and
death, while in other cases the steers,
after gaining fast in weight for a
period of 80 days or more. lost flesh
with equal rapidity and could be
with difficulty got back into good
condition. Experiments have shown,
however, that when the ration is kept
below seven pounds day steers can
be fed for 100 to l20 days upon it
without showing i'll effects. If silage
is given at the same time, as rough
age, the feeding of cottonseed meal
can be prolonged beyond this time
with safety. Silage is a better rough
age to use with meal than cottonseed
hulls, as experiments in several
states have shown that it gives larger
daily gains and better finish.
For wintering stocker cattle, a ra-
ton of corn silage and cottonseed
meal has proven very economical.
Two pounds Of the meal combined
with as much corn silage as the cat
tie will eat will give a small gain in
weight. Straw and other roughages
which cannot otherwise be used ad-
vantageously may be fed with the
silage and cottonseed meal. When
the cattle are put on pasture, cotton
seed cake, which is the same as the
meal In substance. can he used profit
ably as supplementary feed. The
cake has several advantages over the
meal for this purpose. among others
the fact that 1t is not SO readily
spoiled by rain.
Cottonseed meal is also recon.
mended as winter ration for the
breeding herd. About two pounds of
the meal should be given to the
breeding cows per day together with
some silage, stover and other rough
age. This will prove an economical
ration and one which will leave the
cows In good condition in the spring.
The bull also may be fed from two
to three pounds of cottonseed meal
combined with some other concen.
trated feed, but some authorities hold
that it is not we'll to continue this
feed too long. as it is believed to have
injurious effects upon the breeding
mowers. Farmers are also warned to
feed cottonseed meal very sparingly
If at all to young calves. This cues.
tion has not been thorough" investi.
gated as vet, and until more knowl-
edge is at our disposal specialists
consider it advisable to be on the
safe side