OTHER FARM CROPS 567 



use of other fuel with the hulls. The potash exists largely as carbon- 

 ate, which is readily available to plants, but there is also a consider- 

 able percentage of silicate of potash, which is difficultly available. 

 The value of cotton-hull ashes depends almost exclusively upon the 

 amounts of potash and phosphoric acid they contain. (F. B. 36.) 



VALUE OF COTTON SEED TO THE FARMER. 



The results of feeding tests with cotton seed, and cottonseed 

 meal are worthy of careful study by the farmers. The facts, as dem- 

 onstrated, are: (1) a pound of cotton seed has a greater value for 

 feeding cattle than a pound of corn; (2) a pound of cotton-seed meal 

 has a feeding value about equal to two pounds of corn; (3) that at 

 least 85 per cent, of the fertilizing ingredients in the feeds is excreted 

 by the animals fed, and may be recovered in the manure; (4) that 

 nearly half of the fertilizing ingredients excreted is found in the 

 urine; (5) that both cotton seed and cottonseed meal may constitute 

 a very important part of the grain feed of cattle without injury to 

 their health; (6) that cotton seed and cotton-seed meal, when fed to 

 dairy cows in proper quantity and properly combined with other 

 feeds, do not injure the quality of either milk or butter. 



Value of a Ton of Cotton Seed. With corn at 40 cents per bushel 

 a ton of cotton seed is worth $16.70 as a feed, for either beef cattle or 

 dairy cattle. At present prices for commercial fertilizers nitrogen 

 costs about twelve cents per pound, and phosphoric acid and potash 

 each five cents per pound. Allowing these prices for the same ingre- 

 dients in manure, we have $9.09 as the fertilizing value of the ma- 

 nure, for each ton of seed fed, making for a farmer a total value per 

 ton of $25.79. Farmers sell their seed for four to six dollars per ton 1 

 Some of them sell for two dollars per ton ! ! 



Value of a Ton of Cotton-Seed Meal. In a similar way we find 

 the feeding value of a ton of cotton-seed meal to be $28.56, and the 

 manure to be worth $19.13 for every ton of meal consumed, making 

 a total value of $47.69 that a farmer might derive per ton by first 

 feeding the meal to cattle and applying the manure to his land. 

 (Miss. E. S. B. 60.) 



Additional References. S. C. E. S. B. 120, 140; U. S. E. S. B. 

 9, T6, 19, 28, 34; F. B. 285, 314, 326, 364; Miss. E. S. B. 1, 60, 62, 

 88, 98, 113, 135, 143, 148, 151 ; Ga. E. S. B. 47, 52, 56, 70, 75, 79, 

 83 ; S. C. E. S. B. 2, 78 ; B. P. I. B. 88, 128, 155, 159, 163, 200, 210 ; B. 

 P. I. Cir., 11, 18, 29, 66; Y. B. 1903, 1904; U. S. E. S. B. 42; Tenn. 

 E. S. B. 5; La. E. S. B. 92; N. C. E. S. B. 71; Ala. E. S. B. 6, 

 25, 130, 138; Ariz. E. S. F-B. 70; Fla. E. S. B. 32. 



FLAX FOR SEED AND FIBER. 



In considering the cultivation of fibers in this country, with the 

 exception of cotton, the flax crop should undoubtedly be given first 

 place. In 1890, it was ascertained that flax was grown by the farmers 

 almost wholly for seed, the straw, of inferior quality, going to the tow 

 mills or the paper mills, when used at all, and selling for from $1 

 to $8 a ton, the average in the different sections being not more than 

 $2.50 to $4. By far the larger quantity was wasted or burned, and 

 represented no money value whatever. While in the older States 



