The Rutland weekly globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-02-06
story of II Seed

Once upon a time, away down in Georgia
a man planted a little seed.
The sun shone warm on it, and the rain
came and softened it, and it soon began to
sprout. Day and night it grew, till it was
high as a mans head. Buds formed all
over it, and one night they burst into bloom.
Beautiful cream-colored flowers they were,
something like a morning-glOry.
By noon the sun was too warm. The
beautiful blossoms shut their leaves and
hung their heads, and before night each
cream-colorcd flower dropped of. Where
each one had been was a little germ.
This little germ grew and grew until it
was as big as an egg, when it burst open
and threw out a long beautiful fluff of cot.
ton several inches long.
1t was Il cotton seed, of course.
Then a mana negro-camc and tore
the cotton from its ball, put it into a has.
ket with others like it, and carried it to a
room where were hundreds of pounds of
cotton. In the toom was a busy machine,
and into that machine the cotton was
thrown.
This cotton, you must know, is full of
seeds. Very troublesome little fellows they
are, too, for they have no idea of leaving
their comfortable home, and it's very hard
10 get them out.
I'll tell you how the machine does it. As
the cotton goes in it comes to Il roller COW
cred with wire teeth. These teeth seize
the cotton and draw it through II sort of
grating, so fine that the seeds can't get
through, so they just stay on the outside.
As the roller goes around it comcs to a
brush roller, which brushes Off the cotton
as nicely ms any brush can do it. Then the
cotton is packed in Il bale, and sent to the
cotton mills.
Now the cotton that comes from the little
seed away off in Georgia is by this time
very dirty, and what do you suppose ONE
next? a bath? No; what's good for boys
isn't good for cotton. 1t gets-a beating.
1t is laid on Il sort of net work. ana beaten
with bundles of twigs. The dirt falls
through the network, and then the cotton is
called chatting"
But the cotton from the seed I'm telling
about don't stop batting. 1t is very fine
and nice, and it goes to the carding-machine.
This machine lays all the threads one way
by drawing it through sets of wire teeth.
1t comes out on n roller, and is taken Oft
by still another roller, on which it looks
like 4 wide flcecy ribbon. But it don't keep
that pretty lcok very long. 1t is drawn
through a tunnel, which makes it small and
much firmer. 1t isn't fine enough ye, how
wi, anu socs y; uetTeen "no.nel I ..
amt be done with rollers!
When it comes out pressed quite firm it
is called rowing, and is ready to be spun.
You'll hardly believe me, but the spin
ming is done on a mule!
It's Il very peculiar mule, l must admit,
made of wood and iron, and carrying TWEEN
.!-.mo nu,.".eI '!Lnrr sPins
!-tWo nunuIeu 'n'ts'is Nv o"ce' anu y "
"It"uetiui ''"Tiile' Il ~ n"s " 'un.! n'1,
spin, 'nI lIoSo '".l's i''o y nlucn nn,
or ,nreau' sl'snt'y t"lSScu' ms thre"n
ueNt un' s"lo"sn" s"' n"'re Jun" VI
nc niue iu1%' 'neh oNvl " p,usn 10 axe
on .he asnes' anu '"tn 'lfousn u no,e i" "
prnss P'a.e Jus' i. sl~c u! II .'ieau'
men 1t : Wou"u III shelnS' """ put up Ill
h'e OF zen pouhu ounuies.
Aiter an theSe travels tne threau mas q
llttle rest peiore II starts through inc ias'
machlhe-ih one 'hat makes the SOFT cot
ton INTO the the SOHO strong thread We buy
on spoolS TO sew WITH
h skelns are wound on b0bblns, ana
put on the mlchlEe' DIX OF the nne threads
starr together
Look on a spool, ana your read, best
SIX cora COTTON lhat means, as 1 saldi
that SIX OF these threads are united to make
our sewing thread
But must tell you how they go. First
over a glass rod ana through a little trough
of water; and then between rollers to press
them tightly together. Leaving the rollers
they go down, twisting as they go, u where
a spool is fastened. There 1t is regularly
wound on a firm smooth thread, while the