The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-04-14
Our 09lio.
Cotton Seed Oil.


Among the great number of special in
dustries created by cotton is the manufac-
ture of oil from the seed. And although
this product does not compare in value
with sheeting, shirting, yarn, thread, and
the remarkable variety Of other cotton
goods, yet the oil has even closer con
nection with our bodies than the shirts on
our backs But, not to begin with the
end, it is better to describe its manufae-
ture before stating its destination
Probably there ought not to be cotton
seed oil mill in the country, for the seed Is
valuable as manure and as food. Its seed
is a stroDg fertilizer when crushed aud
composted, or when rotted alone; or even
when plowed under whole, it is material
return to the earth for its generosity.
The dried plant itself has but little strength,
but it helps to loosen stiff soils, and there
fore is plowed under or allowed to rot on
the surface when the field is prepared for
a new planting. The seed, when prepared
as fertilizer BY crushing, rottiug, or BY
grinding the dried oil cakes, is used as
guauo, in hills of corn, in drills Of other
grain, or spread broadcast on meadows
aud gardens Another profitable use Of
the seed on farm is to boil il with corn
or meal and give it to cattle. 1t is excel
lent feed for milch cows in this form, or
as meal made from the pressed oil cake.
The farmers who will sell their cotton
seed at 81 per ton, delivered at the rail.
road, are few in Alabama, happily for the
improvement Of the country. In Louisi-
ana and Mississippi, where the soil is rich
and stock is scarce, the mills get enough
seed to be profitable factories. There are
about 10 in those two States. Here there
are but two, and they cannot 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. This should be counted great ad.
dition to her thrift, if the bull can be
pardoned.
The cotton seed as it comes from the
gin has still some cotton lint. 1t looks
like white cocoon, about one-third of an
inch long and half as thick. In a mass
the seeds adhere slightly together and look
like lot of dingy cotton waste. From
such heap they are shoveled into hop
per, in which screw, revolving in
trough, divides them into small punches
and empties them into elevatiug cups on
belt. This elevator empties them into
revolving screen with meshes smaller than
the seeds. Here the sand, dust, and
other small PARTICLES of extraneous matter
are sifted out and the seed passed into
another elevator that empties it into
second revolving screen. This has meshes
large enough to pass the seeds, but too
small to pass the cotton husks or bolls,
sticks, stones, jack-kniyes, and horseshoes,
that often come with the seed. From
there the seed passes into a gin, made ex.
pressely for the purpose, to remove the
short lint left on it by the first gin. An
elevator takes it to huller for removing,
or rather breaking, the shell. The huller
is heavy cylinder, provided with knives,
that pass between teeth so close together
that the seeds are cut in two or three
pieces. The cotton ginned from the seed
passes to carding machine, and is there
carded for use. 1t is available for butts,
and other materials not requiring long
fiber. Ii is used with success in the
manufacture of cotton blankets, which, it
seems, are highly recommended in this
country.
The cracked seeds pass from the hullcr
to revolving sieve, or separator, that al,
lows the meats to fall into trough, but
retains the shells. These shells are passed
by chute to the engine room for fuel.
The meats go from the separator to re-
ciprocating sieve, which passes the pure
meats through it, but retains the few shells
with meats that were not separated, and
sends these back to the separator for a
second sitting. The meats pass between
two heavy iron rollers of great force, and
are pressed into thin fakes, making meal
Of yeilowish-green color. This meal is
placed in the heaters, which are iron tanks
about 4 feet in diameter and Is inches
deep. These are double, the inner vessel
being surrounded by steam at a pressure
of 35 TBS. to the inch. The meal is stirred
and heated, being dry, for five minutes.
This dry heat frees the oil from its en-.
velope. The meal is then scooped into
strong sacks about feet long and 10
inches wide, and placed between boards
hinged together as the covers of book
are. Several Of these sacks are then piled
under hydraulic press of great force, and
squeezed for five minutes; they are then
passed to second and heavier press for
the same length of time, and then to a
third press. The oil runs from the presses
to tank and settles during II or "a hours,
1t is then barreled for shipment. The cake
of cotton seed meal is taken out of the
sack and stood on its edge in rack to dry
during three or four days. The cakes are
then packed in strong sacks or are broken
up and ground into meal again to ship in
bags. The most of It goes to England for
cattle food and as a fertilizer Some of it
is sold in this country as fertilizer at $50
to S22 per ton. A ton of seed produces
about 20 gallons Of oil, worth from 80 to
30 cents per gallon.
The crude oil thus made is sent to re.
fners in New Orleans, Cincinnati, and
New York. 1t has yellow color and
sweet taste Of nuts. 1t is used, crude, for
painting, and mixed with lard oil for lu-
bricating. 1t is also mixed with some
lighter oil or spirit for miners lamps, for
which its non-explosive quality makes it
valuable. When refined it is difficult to
tell all its uses 1t is mixed with many
other oils and passes for them. Here in
the South it is much used for cooking in
place of lard; and many bottle bearing
an assuring French or Italian label for
olive oil is filled with this product Of the
cotton plant,-Letter from alabama Il.
Nelo York Times