The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1916-04-11
Cotton Seed Meal
AS a Fertilizer

asnlnSton, y. e., April ll.--1t TIE
present time when potash in the fur..
OF salts is practically unobtainable and
when both nitrogen and acid ps.os
pilates have advanced in price beys;,..
OF the use Of nitrates and sulphuri.
aeld Tor munition purposes, eottonseed
meal, which carries all three Of thu
fertilizing elements. becomes of prea.
Importance. In recent years immense
quantities OF this material have gone
INTO fertilizers, approximately 1000.
ooo tons having been SO used in 1918.
Cottonseed meal, the residue after the
Oil has been extracted from cottonsooa
Is dry, yellowish powder, having ex
cellent mechanical properties for ferti
ilzer mixtures and contains about 6
per cent OF nitrogen, 2 per cent of phos
phorlc acid and per cent Of potash
1t IS, therefore. according to special
lists OF the Z. S. Department of Agri
culture. primarily heterogeneous fcrti-
llzer, but under present conditions its
potash content is highly important and
IS decided factor in determining the
prlce at which the material is sold.
In practice cottonseed meal should
be mixed with other ingredients. Most
OF the formulas heretofore publ;sbed
nave advocated various proportions of
acid phosphate and muriate Of potash
IN combination with cottonseed meal.
Murlate of potash is to all intents and
purposes unobtainable this vear and
must be omitted from present consider
alton. II 900 pounds of cottonseed
meal and 1000 pounds Of acid phos
phate are mixed, however, a ton of
material results which contains about
$50 pounds of phosphoric acid, 65 lbs.
OF nitrogen and 90 pounds of potash.
This is about 9 per cent phosphoric
acid, 1926 per cent nitrogen and per
cent potash, and makes very salts
factory mixture for many soils where
field crops are not to be grown. For
trucking and gardening present prac-
tlce demands a highr content of pot
ash, and the mixture may be supple
mented by the application of unlached
wood ashes if obtainable.
Nitrogen in cottonseed meal is not
so quickly available as when applied
in the form of nitrate, but on the other
hand is not so likely to be leached out
IN times of heavy rainfall. In light
sandy soils where the teaching is rap
Id the use of organic material sucirsns
cottonseed meal is to be preferred in
supplying the necessary nitrogen. De
cay of the organic material iberates
the nitrogen gradually and there is
much less danger Of loss then is the
case when soluble salts, like Chilean
nitrate, are used.
Most Of the mineral ingredients in
cottonseed meal, are recovered in the
manure ii the material is used as a
cattl feed Th most economical use of
cottonseed meal, is, therefore, to feed
1t and apply the manure to the land
In this way the material is made to
serve double purpose. European
dairymen have for some years bought
large quantities Of American cotton
seed meal for feeding purposes. AZ ;hc
live stock industry develops in our Sou
thern States doubtless an increasing
amount of this material will be divert
cd from the fertilizer trade for use as
stock feed, and at present wherever
possible the practice Of feeding the
meal and using the manure for fertiii-
ger should be followed, rather than the
direct application Of the cottonsced
meal to the land. (564)