138 



FEEDS AND FEEDING, ABRIDGED 



Cottonseed cake and meal.— At the oil mills the leathery hulls of 

 the cotton seed, which are covered with short lint, are cut by machinery, 

 and the oily kernels set free. These kernels are crushed, heated, placed 

 between cloths, and subjected to hydraulic pressure to remove the oil. 

 The residue is a hard, yellowish, board-like cake about 1 inch thick, 1 ft. 

 wide, and 2 ft. long. For the trade in the eastern and central states 

 the cake is generally ground to a fine meal, for the western trade it is' 

 often broken into pieces of pea or nut size for cattle and coarsely 



Fig. 40. — Pickers in a Field of Cotton 



Over 2.500,000 tons of cottonseed meal are produced annually in this country 

 as a by-product of the cotton crop. Used rightly, this rich concentrate is one of 

 the most valuable feeds for stock. (From Louisville and Nashville Railroad.) 



ground for sheep, while the export cake is commonly left whole. For 

 feeding out of doors the broken cake is preferable to meal as it is not 

 scattered by the wind. Unadulterated cottonseed meal of good quality 

 should have a light yellow color and a sharp, nutty odor. A dark or 

 dull color may be due to age, to adulteration with hulls, to overheating 

 during the cooking process, or to fermentation — all of which injure its 

 feeding value. 



Cottonseed meal is one of the richest of all feeds in protein and 

 carries over 8 per ct. of fat. Since the protein and fiber content vary 

 considerably, depending chiefly on how thoroly the hulls are removed 



