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PROGRESSIVE FARMER VOL. XX. NO. 1.
THE COTTON PLANT VOLu XXL NO. 61.
RALEIGH, N. CM FEBRUARY 14, 1905.
Weeklyt $1 a Year.
COTTOIT SEED: THEIR FERTILIZING VALUE AHD THE PROPER
BASIS OF EXCHANGE FOR MEAL.
The low price of cottonseed for sometime - past has created a - great
deal of interest in this State, as is shown by the large number of letters
on the subject which have come to us from Progressive Farmer subscrib
ers. Cottonseed and cotton-seed meal are very valuable, both for feed and
for fertilizer. In the present article we will consider their values as fer
tilizers. m
Users of fertilizers know what acid phosphate, kainit, other fertilizer
materials and mixed fertilizers cost. The fertilizing value of cottonseed,
and cotton-seed meal can best be shown by comparison with the above
fertilizing materials. In fact, it is with these that they have to compete
when they are put on th$ market for use as fertilizers, or when used at
home as such.
Fertilizing Ingredient! of Cotton Seed.
In 14 per cent acid phosphate there are fourteen pounds of phos
phoric acid (the valuable fertilizing constituent of the acid phosphate)
in each one hundred pounds, or 280 pounds in one ton of two thousand
pounds. At $14 per ton, the phosphoric acid costs five cents per
pound. Kainit carries about 12.5 per cent of potash, the fertilizing
constituent of value in this material. One ton of kainit would contain
250 pounds of potash, which at $13.50 per ton would make the potash cost
5.4 cents per pound.
Cotton-seed meal in this State must contain not less than 7Vz per
cent ammonia or 150 pounds in the ton. When meal of this grade sells
for $24 per ton, and the phosphoric acid in it is valued at five cents
per pound, the potash at 5.4 cents (the price of these materials in acid
phosphate and kainit), the ammonia would cost 12.8 cents vper pound.
On basis of this data, .
One ton (2000 pounds) cotton-seed meal contains and is worth:
Ammonia, 150 pounds at 12.8 cents $19.20
Phosphoric acid, 56 pounds at 5 cents 2.80
Potash, 36 pounds at 5.4 cents . 1.94
Fertilizing.value one ton cotton-seed meal 23.94
In the above calculation we have allowed 2.8 per cent phosphoric
acid, 1.8 per cent potash, in the meal. These constituents would" have a
value of $4.74 and the ammonia $19.20 in one ton. .
Allowing the same values for phosphoric acid and notash as given
above, when the meal sells for $26, the ammonia would be worth 14.2
cents per pound, as follows:
One ton (2,000 pounds) cotton-seed meal contains
Ammonia, 150 pounds at 14.2 cents ............ $21.30
Phosphoric acid, 56 pounds at 5 cents 2.80
Potash, 36 pounds at 5.4 cents 1-94
Fertilizing value one ton cotton-seed mea.l 26.04
Value of Cotton Seed for Fertilizer.
Using the same values for the three fertilizing constituents as
given to them in cotton-seed meal above,
Ono ton (2,000 pounds) cottonseed would contain and be worth
Ammonia, 75 pounds at 12.8 cents ........ $9.60
Phosphoric acid, 26 pounds at 5 cents 1.30
Potash, 24 pounds at 5.4 cents 1.30
Fertilizing value one ton cotton seed
12.20
When ammonia in the seed is valued at 14.2 cents per pound, the
price which is paid for it when meal is sold at $26 per ton, (
One ton (2,000 pounds) of seed would contain and be worth
Ammonia. 75 pounds at 14.2 cents $10.65
Phosphoric acid. 26 pounds at 5 cents 1.30
Potash, 24 pounds at 5.4 cents 1.30
Fertilizing value one ton of cottonseed 13.25
"It is thus seen that cottonseed, pound for pound, have a little more
than one-half the fertilizing value of meal. When the meal is high-grade,
containing eight or more per'cent of ammonia, it has more than double
the f ertilizinsr value of seed. . ' '
Thirteen dollars and twenty-five 'cents per ton for seed is about the
same as twenty cents per bushel, and $12.20 corresponds to 18.2 cents
per bushel.
It therefore follows that the farmer who sells cottonseed at twenty-cents-
per bushel and buys meal at .$26 per ton is getting exactly the same
amount of fertilizing materialan the meal that he carried to the mill iny
the seed. In like manner 18.2 cents per bushel for seed corresponds to
-$24 per ton for meal in fertilizing value. . '
When seed are sold for 18.2 cents per bushel and-meal bought at $26
per ton the farmer actually gives the oil mill man $2 more in fertilizing
value in the seed than he gets back in the meal. With seed at sixteen
cents per bushel, the difference is even greater and no farmer can afford -to
sell seed at these prices and buy meal even at $24 per tpn.
On What Basis Should Seed be Exchanged for Meal? -
Considerable quantities of seed are exchanged for meal at the oil .
mills, the rate of exchange being usually 1,100 to 1,400 pounds of meal
for a ton of. seed. It has been seen from the above that one ton of cot
tonseed contains $12.20 worth of ammonia, phosphoric acid and potash .
on the basis of what is paid for these three constituents in acid phos- '
phate at $14, kainit at $13.50, and cotton-seed meal at $24 per ton each."
What quantity of -meal will certain 'these constituents to -the same
value? , . :-,
One thousand and seventeen pounds of IV2 per cent ammonia meal
will contain and be worth
Ammonia, 76.3 pounds at 12.8 cents ............ $9.77
Phophoric acid, 28 pounds at 5 cents 1.40
Potash, 18.3 pounds at 5., cents .... .99
Fertilizing value of 1,017 pounds cottonseed meal. 12.16
which is the same as the fertilizing value of one ton of seed.
-Whatever the farmer gets above this goes to pay him for the labor t
and expense of hauling and handling the seed and meal in making, the :
exchange. These' are items well worth consideration and enough meal
above 1,017 pounds should be obtained in the exchange to make it worth
the while of the farmer to make the exchange. -
The oil mill man gets about forty-five gallons of oil from a ton of
seed, which varies in price from 15 to 30 cents or more per gallonl It
is unusually low this season. At 15 cents the oil is worth $6.75, but it
has no value as a fertilizer. It would seem reasonable that the oil mill 1
should give the farmer a reasonable share of the value of the oil in the
seed. ,
Another article will follow later on the use of cottonseed and cotton
seed meal with other fertilizing materials for different crops.
B. W. KELGORE. :
Call for Cotton Growers' Meetings.
Messrs. Editors: It has been re
quested by the Executive Committee
of the Southern Cotton Growers' As
sociation, at their meeting in New
Orleans, that the various county
meetings be held all over the cotton
growing territory Thursday, 16th, at
the county seats. ' Also that State
meetings be held Tuesday, 21st, at the
State Capitals. Therefore, I request
the cotton growers of North Caroli
na to meet at their respective court
houses in county convention the 16th
inst., and there elect delegates to at
tend the State convention which will
convene in Raleigh Tuesday, 21st, at
12 o'clock.
In some counties calls have been
made to meet the 18th, which is all
right. The main purpose is to have
the ' county meetings on some- day
preceding the State meeting so as to
elect delegates to the State meeting.
I suggest that in counties where no
call has yet been made, a call be is
sued at once by some farmer and have
a meeting if only a few can be gotten
together. The work of completing
the .organization can be arranged
later. . The main thing now is to
get the work started. Let every cot
ton growing county in the State be
represented at the Stae meeting tha,
21st. Reduced rates on all railroad
are expected. " r
T. B. PARKER,
State Agent Cotton Growers' and
' Business Men's
leigh, N. C.
- Association, Ra-
INDEX TO THIS H UMBER.
Cottonseed and Cotton Seed Meal,
B. W. Kilgore .1
Current Events : Editorial Review 8
Ihiroc Jersey Hogs, Samuel
Archer ................. . 3
Five More Things to Plan For,
C. W. Burkett .': ....... .. . 9
Nature Study Literature, F. Lv
Stevens ..... ...... .......... 10
Opposes Ransom Manument, J.
D. Yates 11,
Practical Poultry Talks, Uncle Jo. 3
Talks on Insect Pests, Franklin
Sherman, Jr. . . . . . 2
Three Needful Things. J. Biggs 11
What Level Terracing Will Do, . -
H. F. Freeman ..... .. .. . . . 't. 2
Departments : Markets, 5 ; Home
Circle, 6; Social Chat, 7; State News;
12;" General News, 13; Teachers'
Reading Course, 14; Young People,'
15- h & b cp 0 '
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N; C. State College