370 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



as the sole concentrate on many southern farms, a practice which is 

 safe only when a limited allowance is given. 



Since cottonseed meal is a highly nitrogenous, heavy feed, when a large 

 allowance is given the meal should be mixed with feeds which are bulky 

 and lower in crude protein. McNutt at the North Carolina Station 31 

 found a mixture of equal parts cottonseed meal, dried beet pulp, and 

 dried distillers' grains highly satisfactory when fed with corn silage. 

 A mixture of cottonseed meal, corn meal, and wheat bran was also satis- 

 factory, but more expensive. In trials at the Mississippi Station 32 cov- 

 ering 6 years Moore found that feeding 5 Ibs. of cottonseed meal per 

 head daily continuously was injurious, causing inflammation of the ud- 

 der and difficult breeding. With plenty of silage in winter 4 Ibs. per 

 head daily was not injurious, if good pasture was provided during the 

 growing season so that heavy feeding of concentrates was not necessary 

 then. (250) 



In studies at the North Carolina Station 33 on the effect of cottonseed 

 meal on the growth and reproduction of cows, Curtis and Combs have 

 compared a ration of cottonseed meal, corn silage, and cottonseed hulls, 

 and rations made up of cottonseed meal and the following: (1) cotton- 

 seed hulls alone; (2) cracked corn and cottonseed hulls; (3) dried beet 

 pulp and cottonseed hulls; and (4) cottonseed hulls plus a solution of 

 copper sulphate, which has been advocated as an antidote for the poison 

 of cottonseed meal. In all lots except that fed silage, some of the animals 

 died from cottonseed meal poisoning. Others became blind or aborted. 

 These results show the necessity of feeding only limited amounts of cot- 

 tonseed meal to breeding stock and especially of feeding silage to animals 

 which are receiving heavy allowances of cottonseed meal, when not on 

 pasture. It is best not to feed much cottonseed meal to bulls or to cows 

 for a few weeks before freshening. 



597. Cottonseed meal vs. other concentrates. While cottonseed meal 

 supplies slightly more digestible crude protein than linseed meal, it 

 commonly sells for a little less per ton in the northern states. This 

 usually makes it one of the most economical protein-rich supplements to 

 use in balancing the rations of dairy cows. While it is not quite as 

 palatable as linseed meal, it is well liked by cattle. As cottonseed meal 

 does not have the laxative and conditioning effect of linseed meal, many 

 dairymen prefer to use both of these feeds as sources of protein in a 

 concentrate mixture, rather than to use cottonseed meal as the only sup- 

 plement. Wheat bran is also an excellent feed to use along with cotton- 

 seed meal. Even tho the cost may be increased by furnishing this greater 

 variety, this practice is probably preferable, especially for cows of high 

 productive capacity. 



In trials by Caldwell at the Indiana Station 34 choice cottonseed meal 

 was compared with linseed meal and gluten feed as a supplement to a 



31 Proc. Amer. Soc. Anim. Prod. 1914. ^Information to the authors. 

 "Miss. Bui. 174. 34 Ind. Bui. 20& 



