240 

 Tests at Other Stations. 



According to feeding tests made by Curtis at the Texas 

 Experiment Station, raw cotton seed, roasted cotton seed 

 or boiled cotton seed will kill pigs in about six weeks after 

 beginning to feed them. After two years of duplicate tests 

 Curtis states that cotton seed is an unprofitable hog food, 

 because hogs will not eat it. (See Bulletin No. 21, Texas 

 Station.) 



The Kansas Station gives the following results : "Cotton 

 seed meal proved poisonous to pigs even though fed in small 

 quantities. A mixture of one-fourth cotton seed meal was 

 as disastrous as equal parts of these feeds. The pigs died 

 in from three to eight weeks after being put on this feed, 

 the larger ones holding out the longest. Post mortem ex- 

 aminations revealed in all cases severe inflammation and 

 congestion of the intestines, lungs and heart. But cotton 

 seed meal produces very rapid gains in both pigs and large 

 hogs, and if the feed is changed before symptons of disease 

 appear, hogs can be fed cotton seed meal for a short time 

 with the best results, and this experiment would indicate 

 without subsequent deleterious effects." (See Bulletin 53, 

 Kansas Station.) 



Why cotton seed or cotton seed meal kills pigs and hogs is 

 not definitely known. At present the opinion most pre- 

 valent is that it is a result of the condition of the cotton 

 seed or cotton seed meal. It is certain that cotton seed can 

 undergo decomposition — possibly from various forms of 

 germs. These germs when taken into the alimentary canal 

 for some time, may, invade the tissues and produce the 

 severe inflammation of the intestines and the peritoneum. 

 This process may be explained in another way. The germs 

 by their action on the cotton seed or the tissues may develop 

 a poisonous product (ptomaine) which causes the inflamma- 

 tion and death. In either case it is the condition of the cot- 

 ton seed or cotton seed meal that causes the death. Some 

 one may ask: How is it with the roasted or boiled cotton 

 seed where the germs are destroyed by the heat? The heat 



