OIL-BEARING SEEDS AND BY-PRODUCTS 143 



price the seed commands, soybeans have not yet been extensively fed to 

 live stock in this country, most of the crop being used for seed or for 

 forage. (See Chapter XIV.) 



Soybean cake or meal.— The residue after the oil has been extracted 

 from soybeans carries as much digestible protein as choice cottonseed 

 meal, and furnishes slightly more total digestible nutrients. During 

 recent years a considerable amount has been imported from the Orient 

 to the Pacific coast states, where it is highly esteemed for feeding 

 poultry and dairy cattle. In Europe the unground cake is used and in 

 this country the meal. Tho high in price, soybean meal is greatly es- 

 teemed by western dairymen, and is often fed in large amounts to cows 

 on official tests. 



The peanut and its by-products. — The peanut, or earth nut, is of 

 growing importance for stock feeding in the southern states. The 

 underground seeds, or nuts, are commonly harvested by turning swine 

 into the fields when the seeds are ripe, and allowing them to feed at 

 will. "While a heavy allowance of peanuts makes soft fat and inferior 

 pork, entirely satisfactory ham and bacon are produced when pigs are 

 fed partially on peanuts. On exposure to the air, shelled peanuts soon 

 become rancid. The vines with the nuts attached may be gathered and 

 cured into a nutritious, palatable hay useful with all kinds of stock. 

 The use of this plant for stock feeding should be vastly extended thru- 

 out the South. 



Peanut meal or cake, resulting from the manufacture of peanut oil, 

 is a common feed in Europe, being satisfactory for all classes of stock. 

 Meal from hulled nuts is richer in protein than choice cottonseed meal. 

 But little peanut meal is sold in this country, and this is chiefly from 

 unhulled nuts, containing about 28 per ct. protein and 23 per ct. fiber. 



Peanut hulls, sometimes ground and used for adulterating feeding 

 stuffs, are over half fiber and less valuable than common straw. 



Sunflower seed and oil cake. — The sunflower is grown in consider- 

 able quantities in Russia but has never assumed any importance in this 

 country, chiefly because corn yields much more feed per acre. Oil cake 

 from sunflower seed has proved satisfactory for all classes of stock in 

 Europe, being nearly equal to linseed meal. 



Cocoanut meal. — This residue in the manufacture of oil from the 

 cocoanut is lower in crude protein than the oil meals previously dis- 

 cussed, but higher than wheat bran. It is used to some extent by 

 dairymen in the Pacific coast states and produces butter of good quality 

 and firmness. It may also be fed with success to horses, sheep, and 

 swine. On account of its tendency to turn rancid it can be kept but a 

 few weeks in warm weather. 



