Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1878-02-15
Cotton-Secd Oil-Its Manufactures
and Uses.

Cotton-Secd Oil-Its Manufactures
and Uses.
Among the great number of
special industries created by
cotton, one in which Texas
should be particularly interested
is the manufacture OF oil from
the seed. The Scientific Amer,
ican rather quantity puts it, that
while the product OF cotton does
not compare III valueiwith sheet
ing, shifting, yarn, thread and
the remarkable variety OF OTHER
cotton goods, yet the oil has ev>
en- closer connection with our
bodies than the shirts on our
backs.
The cotton seed as it comes
from the gin has still some cot
ton lint. 1t looks like white
cocoon, about one third Of an
icnh long and half as thick. In
a mass the seeds adhere slightly
together and look like lot OF
dingy cotton waste. From such
a heap they are shoveled into a
hopper, in which screw, re-
voiving in a trough, divides
them into small lunches and
empties them into elevating cups
on belt, this elevator empties
them into a revolving screen
with meshes smaller than the
seeds. Here the sand, dust. and
Others small PARTICLES OF ex-
traneous matter are sifted out
and the seed passed into another
elevator that emptics it into a
a 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-knives. and
hors;shoes, that often come
with the seed. From there the
seed passes into gin, made ez-
presley for the purpose, to re
move the short lint left on it by
the trst gin. An elevator takes
it to butler for removing, or
rather breaking the shell. The
huller is a heavy cylinder, pro-
vided with knives, that pass
between teeth SO close together
that the seeds are cut in two or
three pieces. The cotton GIN
ned from the seed passes to a
carding machine. and is there
carded for use. 1t is available,
for bats, and others material
not requiring long fiber, 1t is
used with success in the man
ufacture of cotton blankets,
which, it seems. are highly re-
commended in this country
The cracked seeds pass from
the huller to a revolving sieve,
or separator, that allows the
meats to tall into a trough, but
reta:ns the shells. These shells
are passed by obute to the
engine room tor fuel. The
meats go from the separator to
a reciprocating sieve, which
passes the pure meats through
it. but retains the few shells
with meats that were not sep
arated, and sends these back
to the separator for second
sitting. The meats pass between
two heavy iron rollers of great
force, and are pressed into thin
cakes, making a meal OF yellow
ish-green color. This meal is
placed in the heaters, which are
iron tanks about 4 feet in diam>
eter and Is inches deep. These
are double; the inner vessel be-
ing surrounded BY steam at a
pressure of IS lbs to the inch.
The meal is stirred and heated,
being dry, for FIVE minutes.
This dry heat frees the oil from
its envelope. The mea! is then
scooped into strong sacks about
two feet long and ten inches
wide. and placed between two
boards hinged together as the
covers of "A book are. Severa!
OF these sacks are then piled un-
der a hydraulic press of great
force, and squeezed for five
minutes; they are then passed
to a second and heavior press
for the same length of time, and
then to a third press. The oil
runs from the presses to a tank
and settles during II or IA hours.
1t is then barreled tor 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
fertilizer. Some of it is sold
in this country as fertilizer at
$50 to 500 per ton. A ton OF
this seed produces about 20 gal
Ions Of oil, worth from 80 to 80
cents per gallon.