The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1877-05-05

No to their interest long since.
Cotton Seed Ol-Its Manutac-
tur2 and Uses.
Among the great number of Sp".
eiol industries created by cotton Is
the manufacture of oil from the srr"'
And although this product does not
romparc in value with shrrtln",
shifting, yarn, thread, and the re-
markable variety Of other cotton
goods, yet tive oil has even a closer
connection with onr bottles than the
shirts on our backs. But, not to be-
gin with the ru,l, it is better to drS-
cribc its manufacture before stating
its destination.
Probably there ought not to be y
cotton seed oil mill in the country
for the seed is valuable as manure
and as food. Its seed is Il strong
fertilizer when crushed and compost.
9s1 or when rUttrl alnrc; or even
when ploweA under whole. it Is Il
material return to the earth fol is
generosity. The dried plant itself
has but little strength, but it helps to
loosen stiff soils, and therefore Is
plowe1 under or allowed t" rot on
the surface when the field is prepared
for new planting. The seed, WHEN
prepared as a fertilizer h' c'n>l''r~,
rottiug, or by glindlng the died oil
cakes, is used as gu"no. III hills OF
corn, in drills of other "'ain, or
spr cad broadcast on meadows aNd
gardens. Another profitable use OF
the seed on a farm is to boil it with
corn or meal and give it to tn" cat
tie. 1t is excellent feed for mllr'1
COWS in this form. or as meal matte
from the pressed oil cake.
The farmers who will sell THEW
cotton seed at 81 per ton, drivrredl
At the railroad, a,c few in Alabama.
happily for the improvement OF the
country. In Louisiana and MISSISSIPPI
nj. where the soil is rich and stock is
scarce, the mills get enough seed to
be profitable factories. There are
about 10 in those tw" States. 1l''c
there are but two, and they ra"n"t
get sufficient seed for continuous work
Georgia. which is said to Use now
more fertilizers than any other State
in the Union, has no oil mill. Thi,
should be counted great addition tt
her thrift, if the bnll can be pardoned
The cotton seed rs it comes from
the gin has still some cotton lint
1t looks like n white cocoon, ah"n
one third of an inch long and half a
thick. In mass the seeds adhere
slightly together and look like 10
of dingy cotton waste. From such ;
heap they are shoveled into a hopper
in which screw, revolving in
trough, divides them into small
punches and cmpties them into elc
waiting cups on belt. This eleva
tor emptics them into a revolving
screen with mcslles smaller than tn
seeds. Here the sand, dust, an
other small particles Of cxtraneou
matter are sifted out and the see
passed into another elevator tina
empties it, into a second revolvin
screen. This has me>he> large en"ng
to pass the seeds, hnt too small t
pass the cotton husks or hollis. stick
stones. jack knives, and h"rseshoe
that often come with the seed. F'o'
there the seed passes intoa gin, mad
expressly for the purpose, t" rrm"H
the short lint left on 1t by the FIR
gin. An elevator takes it to a h"ll'
for removing, or rather breaking
the shell. The huller is a heavy cy
inder. provided with knives, tn;
pass between teeth 40 close togoth'
that the seeds are cut in two or thr'
pieces. The cotton ginned from Il
seed passes to a carding mach1n
and is there ca,lel for use. 1t
available for butts, and other mater
MS not requiring long fiber 1t
used with success in the mannfactn
of cotton blankets, which. it seem
are highly recommended i'll tn
country.
The cracked seeds pass from t
huller to q revolving sieve, or sep
rator, that allows the meats to f;
into a trough, but retains the shell
These shells are passed by chute
the engine room for fuel. The me;
20 from the separator to a rrcIpr"c
ting sieve, which passes the pI1
meats through it, but retains the t,
shells with meats that were not ser
rated, and sends these back to- t
separator for a second sitting. T
meats pass between two heavy II
rollers of great force, and are press
into thin flakes, making a meal
ycllowish- green color. This meal
placed in the heaters, which are il
tanks about 4 feet in diameter a
Is inches deep. These are doul
the inner vessel being surrounded
steam at a pressure Of 35 lbs. to
inch. The meal is stirred aud he
ed, being dry, for five minutes. T
dry heat frees the oil from its env
ope. The meal is then scooped i
strong sacks about feet long and
inches wide, and placed betw'
boards hinged together as the GOV
Of book are. Several of these sa
are then piled under a hydraulic p'
of great force, and squeezed for
minutes they are then passed