BULLETIN 1272, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
VELVET-BEAN MEAL COMPARED WITH COTTONSEED MEAL 
The Bureau of Plant Industry furnished about 1,500 pounds of 
hulled velvet beans for experimental feeding. The beans were 
ground and fed in comparison with choice cottonseed meal to six 
cows, two groups of three each, for two periods of 50 days each. One 
lot received 4 pounds of velvet-bean meal with enough corn meal 
and wheat bran, equal parts, to bring the total grain ration up to 
8 pounds for each pound of fat produced. The other lot was fed 
the same except that cottonseed meal was substituted for velvet-bean 
meal. The remainder of the ration consisted of from 6 to 8 pounds 
of alfalfa hay and 15 to 35 pounds of corn silage. 
The tendency of both groups to gain in live weight when fed 
cottonseed meal necessitated a reduction in the allowance of this 
concentrate. This condition caused a much lower total consump- 
tion of cottonseed meal as compared with velvet-bean meal. Velvet- 
bean meal is not nearly so palatable as cottonseed meal. In most 
instances the velvet-bean meal composed only about half of the total 
frain allowance. When the mixture contained less of the velvet- 
ean meal some cows consumed their grain allowances somewhat 
more readily. It was seldom, however, that any cow consumed 
4 pounds of velvet-bean meal daily, and some even failed to eat 2 
pounds daily. During the last 10 days two cows were fed 6 pounds 
of grain with 4 pounds of the velvet-bean meal. In neither case 
was all the velvet-bean meal consumed, and one of the two cows inva- 
riably refused from 1 to 2 pounds of the meal. 
Since it appears that from 2 to 4 pounds of velvet-bean meal is all 
that an average-producing cow will consume, the following figures 
on the relative value of velvet-bean meal are true only when from 
2 to 4 pounds are fed. As a rule the ground velvet-bean meal was 
fed dry. Allowing the meal to soak did not appear to make it any 
more palatable. Tables 10 and 11 give the results of this experiment. 
Table 10. — Comparative results of feeding velvet-bean meal and cottonseed meal 
Quantity of feed 
Yield 
Group 
Velvet- 
bean 
meal 
Cotton- 
seed 
meal 
Corn 
meal and 
wheat 
bran 
Alfalfa 
hay 
Silage 
Milk 
Butter- 
fat 
Gain in 
body 
weight 
Velvet-bean meal groups 
Pounds 
835.7 
Pounds 
Pounds 
803.7 
908.0 
Pounds 
2,015 
2,093 
Pounds 
7,718 
8,203 
Pou nds 
4, 599. 2 
4, 789. 4 
Pounds 
199. 90 
217.76 
Pounds 
16 
592.0 
111 
Table 11. — Feed consumed for each pound of butterfat produced in velvet-bean 
experiment l 
Group 
Velvet- 
bean 
meal 
Cotton- 
seed 
meal 
Grain 
mixture 
Alfalfa 
hay 
Corn 
silage 
Velvet-bean-mea] groups 
Pounds 
4.18 
Pounds 
Pounds 
4.02 
4.17 
Pounds 
10.08 
9.61 
Pounds 
38 6 
Cottonseed-meal groups 
a 72 
37.7 
1 This experiment indicates that 1 pound cottonseed meal is equal to about 1.54 pounds velvet-bean 
