THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
!U 
tee ot'three to draft by-laws, (for the further 
government of the Society,) to be reported at 
next meeting, 
A door for members being opened, some- 
thing like 50 immediately signed the constitu- 
tion. 
Adjourned to meet first Tuesday in J uly next. 
John Harris, President. 
Joseph W. Thomas, Secretary, pro lem. 
Cotton Seed Oil. 
From Ellsworth’s Report for 1844. 
^The folio wing account ol cotton-seed oil, &c., 
from J. Hamilton Cooper, esq., of Georgia, 
w’ill be read with interest, as it shows the use 
which may yet be made of an article produced . 
in large quantities, and before comparatively 
useless. A gentleman at the INorth is already 
making inquiries on this subject, which may 
lead to his embarking in this enterprise. It is 
Bot improbable, therefore, that cotton-planters 
may rejoice to find an article of so little value 
hitherto may be converted into an important 
article of domestic and foreign use. It was re- 
ceived too late lor reference in the report.] 
The seed of the Sea-island or long-staple cot- 
ton weighs about 40 lbs. to the bushel. As it is 
less coated with fibre, the yield of oil to the 
bushel will be considerably greater than that ol 
the upland; but I am unable to say what it is. 
As the two kinds are only varieties of the same 
plant, it is presumed that there is no difference 
in the oil from the two. 
Practically considered, the Sea-island cotton 
seed may be put out of the quesiion, from its 
limited production, and the value set on it by 
planters as a manure. 
From the experiments made on a large scale 
at Natchez, the oil from upland cotton seed was 
found, when well refined, to burn as well as 
spermaceti ; it made also an excellent paint oil. 
There was, however, much difficulty in refining 
it, and so much waste in accomplishing it as to 
render the manufacture unprofitable. The pro- 
cess employed were such as were then used in 
the Netherlands, France, and in America; but 
none of them was satisfactorj'. There is every 
reason to expect that the great improvements 
and discoveries now making in organic chemis- 
try will soon supply a satisfactory process of 
refinement. 
As there are 30 bushels of seed to every bale 
of cotton, each bale will yield at least 15 gallons 
of crude oil, and 360 lbs. of oil cake. If the oil 
can be made to be worth 50 cents per gallon, 
and the cake be sold only for 1 cent, an increase 
ofSlO at least per bale will be given, which in 
2,000,000 of bales will be §20,000,000. 
Through the greater part of the western coun- 
try, the seed is absolutely thrown away, as the 
lands are too rich to be manured. The oil-cake 
from cotton seed has been extensively used by 
me as feed for horses, cattle, and sheep, and 
was found to be excellent. It may be used with 
equal advantage with rape-cake for food or ma- 
nure. 
Upland or Sea-Island cotton seed may be ob- 
tained from any of the factors in Charleston or 
Savannah. 
No difficulty exists in hulling, tempering or 
expressing the oil. The huller ol Follet (|- 
SmiLh of Petersburg, Virginia, accomplishes 
the first very effectually, at the rate of a bushel 
of kernels in four or five minutes ; and the ma- 
chinery employed in French Flanders for rape- 
seed, &c., answers perfectly for cotton seed. 
The present low prices of cotton will present 
a sufficient inducement to planters to save and 
sell the seed at reasonable prices ; audit is be- 
lieved that, if a cheap and effective mode of re- 
fining the oil can be discovered, this branch ol 
manufacture will become one of very high 
value to the country. 
J. Hamilton Cooper, near Darien, Ga. 
Memoranda of experiments made in January, 13-36, at 
Natchez, to ascertain the relative quantities of crude oil, 
cake, Sfc., from the seed of the short staple or upland 
cotton. r r 
weight) of seed of good quality, well 
aried tn the sun, opened by hand, and the kernels 
carefully separated from the hulls and fibre, gave of 
Kernels 115^ grains, being 57:| per cent. 
Hulls and fibre. .. .. 844 “ “ “ 
200 too 
B. — The same seed, after being well sun-dried, were 
heated on ashovel over the fire, until they became 
crisp. They lost 2^ per cent, in weight. 
C. — One bushel (even measure) of seed, heated during 
eight minutes in a drying kiln, was hulled by Follet’s 
huller, and gave 
Kernels. . . 144 lbs., or 54| per cent. 
Hulls and fibre 121 “ 45| 
26| lbs. weight of 1 bushel of seed, 
even or struck measure. ’ 
D. — One bushel (heaped measure) kiln dried gave 
Kernels 161 lbs., or 54.17 percent. 
Hulls and fibre 13f “ 45 83 “ 
30 lbs. weight of 1 bushel of seed 
heaped measure, 
E. — Ten bushels of kiln dried seed slightly 
heaped weighed .301 lbs. 
When hulled, they yielded 94 bushels of hulls, 
&c,, weighing 117 lbs. 
Atid 5 bushels of kernels, weighing 184 lbs. 
Which 5 bushels of kernels when kneaded in- 
to a paste under the stones, with 2 quarts of 
water, gave 3 bushels 18 quarts of tempered 
meal, which weighed.. ......198 lbs. 
or 584 P®’’ bushel. 
F. — The average weight of a bushel of temper- 
ed meal is 61 lbs. 
Deduct for water 3 lbs. 
Leaves the weight of (he kernel 58 lbs. 
G. — One gallon of crude oil from the press weighed 7 
lbs. 6 oz. 
H. — One bushel of well-tempered meal weighing 61 lbs. 
was pressed, and the cake retempered and repress- 
ed ; it gave 
1st pressing 64 quarts of crude oil. 
2d pressing 2| “ “ 
9 1-10 
Weight of the bushel of meal 61 lbs. 
Weight of 9 1-10 quarts, at 7 lbs. 6 oz. per gal- 
lon, (G) 16Ht>s- 
Leaves weight of the cake 44| 
Results . 
One bushel of seed weighing 30 lbs gives 16 lbs. of 
kernel, which, when tempered and twice pressed, yields 
from 24 quarts to 2 7-10 quarts of crude oil, and I24 lbs. 
of cake. 
How to Raise Turkeys* 
Th; attention ofi onr readers has been repeat- 
edly called to the subject of raising pouliry — in 
the vicinity of our large cities, perhaps no stock 
is so profitable. Some good practical hints may 
be taken from the lollowing, which the editor of 
the New Jersey Journal gives as the result ol 
considerable experience of his own. The young 
turkey is proverbially a tender chick, and it is a 
nice matter to know how to manage him pro- 
perly. 
We believe it is common among farmers to 
say that a turkey’s head costs twice as much as 
its body is worth when fattened. This we do 
not believe to be true, if he is properly managed; 
but OH the contrary, we believe that nothing can 
be raised and turned to so great a profit. But 
turkeys must have care, especially when young; 
but this care will not entrench on the business 
of the farmer, as it may be done by females or 
the younger branches of the iamily — and besides, 
the little damage they may do to grass or other 
things, must not be magnified tenfo.d, as is usu- 
ally the case. But by proper attention they will 
do no damage at all. 
Before giving our rules lo be observed in 
raising turkeys, let us draw a comparison. 
There'^ are few farmers but can raise 100 tur- 
keys — these 100 turkeys will weigh, when fat- 
tened, in December, upon an average, seven 
and a half pounds each, full dressed. We say 
full dressed, for it is the practice in some places 
to divest the turkey of nothing but its head and 
feathers, and then take it to market. A practice 
as uncivilized as it is disgusting. These hun- 
dred turkeys then will weigh 750 lbs., which in 
market are equal to 1.500 lbs. of pork. But if 
the male turkeys are kept until February or 
March, they will not only increase in weight, 
twice the amount of their feed, but the price in 
market will be much higher. 
We will now give the rules to be observed in 
raising and fattening them, founded wholly on 
our experience. Turkeys intended for breeders, 
must be kept well during fhe wiuier. If put in 
good condition, however, in December, it takes 
but little feed to keep them so. Their nests for 
laying must be made with hay or oat straw, un- 
der cover, and be well protected from the weath- 
er, and from vermin. When incubation com- 
mences, the turkey must not be disturbed, and if 
she does hot come from her nest for food and 
walcr, she must have both placed by her on her 
nest. When the young turkeys are hatched, 
they may be allowed to remain one day on the 
nest, or if removed, let them be sheltered in a 
warm place, and plenty of straw for them to set 
upon, for they are now extremely liable to take 
cold. The second day feed them with curds, or 
warm clabbered milk mixed with a little Indian 
or barley meal. They must be kept up and fed 
in this way for two or three days, and longer if 
the weather should be cold or rainy, but as soon 
as a warm and pleasant day comes, let them out 
at nine or ten o’clock, and shut them up at four; 
and this practice of letting them out and shutting 
up must be followed for five or six weeks, and on 
no account let them get wet. When a young 
turkey begins to droop, there is but little hope 
for it. There is no danger of keeping them too 
warm. When they are five or six weeks old, 
put a little grease on their heads to preserve 
them from lice. 
At the age of six or eight weeks the turkey is 
more hardy, but still should not be exposed to 
rains or the damp nights, for a few weeks longer. 
If the farmer has a plot of grass let him enclose 
a yard with a high fence, and crop the wings of 
the old tur'aeys, and continue to feed them with 
clabbered milk, and whatever else he pleases 
that comes from the kitchen, such as broken 
bread, potatoes, and the like. If he has a clover 
field, as soon as it is mown, let them run on it, 
and they will live on young clover. And as 
soon as the crops are uffi the ground, say in Au- 
gust or September, let tliem range on the farm ; 
but see to it, -that they come to their roosting 
place at night, and have water. 
In December the turkeys will be large enough 
to fatten, and for this purpose select as many as 
you please, and shut them up — next take to the 
mill, a few bushels of ears of Indian corn, and 
have it ground — then boil potatoes, and mix the 
meal with the scalding water and potatoes in a 
tub, say in the proportion of one bushel ol pota- 
toes to one peck or more of meal, and stir them 
well together, then let it cool, but give it to the 
turkeys as warm as they will bear it, and as 
much as they will eat, and in two weeks and a 
half, they will be fat enough for marker, and for 
an alderman’s dinner. 
V/edonot take this from books, but from 
several years’ experience. We kept an exact 
account of the expense of raising and fattening 
a ffock, and at the rate of ten cents a pound full 
dressed, we received §72, while our cost exclu- 
sive of sour milk, was less than §10. If any 
farmer does not wish to be at the special trouble 
of raising them, but should have a small flock 
to fatten, that have lived “in spite of wind and 
weather,"* let him adopt our rules of fattening, 
and be will “save much corn.” On a large 
farm, and with a large yard and a butter dairy 
with proper attention we believe it may be mad, 
a -leading business to great profit.— Far. Cab. 
Gates for Bars. — There are few farmers so 
destitute of mechanical skill, as to be unable to 
make a substantial gate. This is a convenient, 
secure, time-saving, labor-saving, and w'e may 
add, iemper-BSiYmg fixture. We know’ of no 
merit which bars have to recommend them in 
preference to the gate, and the substitution of 
the latter for the former, is alwmys considered 
an improvement on a farm, as a good firm wall 
is in place of a flimsy fence. 
Do not, if possible, depend on your neighbors 
for the tools required for such work as the ma- 
king of a gate. Purchase them— and then you 
will not be liable to be interrupted in your work 
by a summons to return them at the moment, as 
you are in case of borrow’e.l tools, and have to 
wait till the owner has done wdth them, before 
you can go on again — and then, perhaps, re- 
sume your w’ork only to be again interrupted 
