224
AGRICULTURE
[united
appreciates the value of his cotton seed, and farmers, too remote from the mills to get it pressed, now feed to their stock all the cotton seed they conveniently can, and use the residue either in compost or directly as manure. The Table XIX—Showing the Range of Prices of Middling Upland average of a large number of analyses of whole cotton Cotton, per Pound, in New York from 1821 to 1895, inclusive. seed gives the following figures for its fertilizing conRange of stituents :—Nitrogen, 3-13 per cent. ; phosphoric acid, of of Year. Range of Year. Range Year. Range Prices. Prices. Prices. Prices. 1-27 per cent.; potash, 1-17 per cent.; besides small Cents. Cents. Cents. Cents. amounts of lime, magnesia, and other valuable but less 1861 12-00 1881 2-50 50 1841 41821 9-00 important ingredients. Using average prices paid for 5 1862 31-50 1882 150 1842 51822 8-00 nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, when bought in- 8 1863 41-00 1883 237 1843 21823 8-00 1864 121-00 1884 1-00 1844 3large75 quantities and in good forms, these ingredients, in a 1824 6-50 1865 147-00 1885 1-00 75 1845 11825 18-00 ton of cotton seed, amount to $9.00 worth of fertilizing •87 1866 27-50 1886 50 1846 21826 8-50 material. Compared with the commercial fertilizer which 15-50 1887 2-25 1867 75 1847 5-25 1827 2the farmer has to buy, cotton seed possesses therefore a 5 1868 17-50 1888 11848 7-00 1828 4-75 10-75 1889 1-81 1869 50 1849 4 "75 distinct value. 1829 315-75 1890 21870 50 1850 387 1830 4The products of cotton seed have become important 3 elements in the national industry of the United States. Aver. 7-35 Aver. 4-12 Aver. 43-95 Aver. 1-77 The main product is the refined oil, which is used for a 2-69 1891 61871 1851 6-25 1831 5-75 great number of purposes, such as2 salad oil, compound 2-06 1872 00 8-37 1892 1852 2-87 1832 5lard, miners’ oil, and the like. The poorer grades are 2-81 31893 1 1873 50 1853 2-00 1833 71894 1-69 1874 50 7employed in soap-making. Cotton 3 seed cake or meal is 75 1854 11834 82-62 1895 1-81 1875 1855 4-50 1835 7-50 one of the most valuable of feeding stuffs, as the following 1876 2-87 62 1856 21836 7-50 simple comparison between it and oats and corn will 2-21 Aver. 2-37 1877 1857 4-12 1837 12-50 show
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15 1878 1858 6-87 75 1838 643 1879 50 1859 2-37 1839 7Carbo-hydrates Proteins or Bone 21880 1860 1-25 1840 7-50 Fat Fats. AshMakers. Average Analyses. or Flesh or Fuel and7 Suppliers. Formers. 4-16 Aver. 7-60 Aver. 3-46 Aver. 7-02 13-45 22-31 Cotton seed meal. 43-26 1-02 5-5 70-0 10-5 Com . Cotton Seed. 1-2 8-0 65-0 17-0 Oats . The history of no agricultural product contains more Cotton seed meal, though poor in carbo-hydrates, the fat of interest and instruction for the student of economics than does that of cotton seed. The revolution in its and energy-supplying ingredients, is exceedingly rich in treatment is a real romance of industry. Up till 1870, or protein, the nerve- and muscle-feeding ingredients. But it thereabouts, it was regarded as a positive nuisance upon still contains a large amount of oil, which forms animal the plantation. It was left to accumulate in vast heaps fat and heat, and thus makes up for part of its deficiency about ginhouses, to the annoyance of the farmer and the in carbo-hydrates. The meal, in fact, is so rich in injury of his premises. For cotton seed in those days was protein that it is best utilized as a food for animals when the object of so much aversion that the planter burned it mixed with some coarse fodder, thus furnishing a more or threw it into running streams, as was most convenient. evenly-balanced ration. In comparative valuations of If the seed were allowed to lie about, it rotted, and hogs feeding stuffs, it has been found that cotton seed meal and other small animals, eating it, often became sick and exceeds corn meal by 62 per cent., wheat by 67 per cent., died. It was very difficult to burn, and when dumped and raw cotton seed by 26 per cent. Cotton seed meal, in into rivers and creeks, was carried out by flood water to the absence of sufficient stock to consume it, is also used fill the edges of the flats with a decaying mass of veget- extensively as a fertilizer, and for this purpose it is worth, able matter which gave rise to offensive odours and determining the price on the same basis as used above for malaria. Although used in the early days to a limited the seed, from $19 to $20 per ton. But it has seldom extent as a food for milch cows and other stock, and to a reached this price, except in some of the Northern States, larger extent as a manure, no systematic efforts were made where it is used for feeding purposes. A more rational proanywhere in the South to manufacture the seed until the ceeding would be to feed the meal to animals and apply later ’fifties, when the first cotton seed mills were estab- the resulting manure to the soil. When this is done, from lished. It is said that there were only seven cotton oil 80 to 90 per cent, of the fertilizing material of the meal mills in the South in 1860. The cotton-growing industry is recovered in the manure, only 10 to 20 per cent, being was interrupted by the Civil War, and the seed-milling converted by the animal into meat and milk. The profit business did not begin again until 1868. Since that time derived from the 20 per cent, thus removed is a very the number of mills has been rapidly increasing. There large one. These facts indicate that we have here an were 25 in the South in 1870, 50 in 1880, 120 in 1890, agricultural product, the market price of which is still far below its value as compared, on the basis of its chemical and about 500 in 1901. Long experience shows that 1000 pounds of seed are composition, either with other feeding stuffs or with other produced for every 500 pounds of cotton brought to fertilizers. Though it is probably destined to be used market. On the basis, therefore, of a cotton crop of even more extensively as a fertilizer before the demand 10,000,000 bales of 500 pounds, there were produced in for it as a feeding stuff becomes equal to the supply, the South in 1900, 5,000,000 tons of cotton seed. About practically all the cotton seed meal of the South will 3,000,000 tons only are pressed, producing products worth ultimately be used for feeding. One explanation of this $65,000,000 at present prices. There remains, therefore, condition of things is that there is still a large surplus of to be utilized on the farm 2,000,000 tons of cotton seed, cotton seed which cannot be manufactured by the mills, at which, if manufactured, would produce a total of least under the existing arrangements for its transportation. $100,000,000 from cotton seed. In contrast with the Another reason is found in the absence of cattle in the formers of the ’sixties, the southern planter of to-day South to eat it.
the full value of it after it is made, with the result that they are in better condition now to produce cotton at a steady and trustworthy profit than they ever were before.
