IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING COTTON SEED TO SEPARATE THE COTTON THEREFROM, AND ALSO TO PARTIALLY DECORTICATE OB REMOVE THE HUSK OF THE SEED FROM THE KERNEL
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Burstall, of Cottingham, in the County of York,
Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING COTTON SEED
TO SEPARATE THE COTTON THEREFROM, AND ALSO TO PARTIALLY DECORTICATE OB
REMOVE THE HUSK OF THE SEED FROM THE KERNEL."
Sealed the 7th October 1864, and dated the 19th April 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Burstall at the
Office of the 'Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th April 1864.
I, GEORGE BURSTALL, of Cottingham, in the County of York, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING
COTTON SEED TO SEPARATE THE COTTON THEREFROM, AND ALSO TO PARTIALLY
DECORTICATE OR REMOVE THE HUSK OF THE SEED FROM THE KERNEL," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in treating cotton seed to
separate the cotton therefrom without injuring the seed, and also to partially
decorticate or remove the husk of the seed from the kernel. For this
purpose I construct a stone roller of Derbyshire Peak or other rough hard
stone enclosed in a case, as in a pearl barley apparatus. I make the case,
however, of wire, and to it the seed is fed by a hopper, and the case is
furnished with a door for letting out the seed. The case revolves with a
comparatively slow motion, by preference, in the opposite direction to the
stone, to which I give a considerable velocity. During the operation of the

page_text: machine the action of the seed beating against the wires and stone alter-
nately quickly takes off the cotton, whilst the arrangement of the wires,
assisted by the blast caused by the process, affords an easy egress to the
particles of cotton and dust as they are separated from the seed, which would
otherwise impede the operation and injure the quality of the cotton. A
further blast may be employed if required, forced by a fan through the spindle
of the stone, which may be made hollow for this purpose. The operation is
more especially intended for such cotton seed (as East India and New
Orleans), when the seed after being subjected to the process of ginning is
still firmly coated with cotton; it is necessary to take off this cotton to render
the seed in a fit state for expressing the oil by the ordinary oil crushing appa-
ratus of the country.
The cotton seed from which the fibre has been thus separated may be at
once pressed. I prefer, however, to submit it to the following preparatory
process, which is also applicable to cotton seed which has not been treated in
the manner above set forth :-I break the cotton seed under stones or other
instruments so as not to grind it too small, from whence the seed passes over
a screen to take out all the small particles of kernal formed by the operation
into a winnowing machine, which will separate a considerable protion of the
cotton and husk; by thus separating the cotton and husk or some of it from
the kernel before pressing, the quality of the cotton cake will be materially
improved without injuring the oil; the expense of crushing will also be
diminished, as a smaller bulk of seed will have to be operated upon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Burstall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the a
19th October 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
BURSTALL, of Cottingham, in the County of York, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Burstall, Her special licence that I, the said George
Burstall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said George Burstall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times

page_text: thereafter, during the term therein expressed;; should "and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain,
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING COTTON SEED TO SEPARATE THE COTTON, THEREFROM,
AND ALSO TO PARTIALLY DECORTICATE OR REMOVE THE HUSK OF THE SEED FROM.
THE KERNEL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Burstall, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe-
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar inonths next, and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Burstall; do hereby declare,
the nature of the said; Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
:
. In treating cotton seed according to my said Invention, it is preferred first
to pass it through a cylindrical screen, which is constructed in the following
manner: It is about, five feet long, and one foot four inches in diameter.
This.screen is inclined, and the upper end; for about three-fourths its length is
composed of strong wire cloth suitable for, allowing the dust to pass through,
but prevent the grains of the seed passing through. The lower end is formed
of perforated zinc, the perforations allowing the seeds to pass freely.through.
By this screen the dirt and dust are separated by passing through the woven
wire, and some of the cotton is also separated, together with pieces of wood,
stone, or other matters, which pass to the end of the screen. Thi
is
caused to revolve at the rate of about twenty revolutions per minute, whilst
evolve.at
the beaters, which are of strong wire, revolve at the rate of four or five
hundred revolutions per minute.
screen
Whether the cotton seed is first screened or not, it is, according to my
Invention; treated or acted on in a mill, which is constructed in the following
manner: A circular stone mounted on a horizontal axis is used, this stone is
from three to four feet in diameter, and is preferred to be of Derbyshire Peak
or other hard stone. This stone is caused to revolve at the rate of about three,
hundred revolutions per minute, whilst the case revolves at the rate of about
ten or twelve revolutions in a different or in the same direction. This case is
composed of a strong metal frame covered at the sides and circumference with
strong woven wire, which covering admits of the passage of the cotton (and
dust, if there be any) whilst the meshes or spaces retain the cotton seeds.

page_text: There is a space of about three and a half inches between the sides and
circumference of the stone and the case. The case is filled to about two-
thirds of its capacity with cotton seed from which it is desired to separate the
cotton, and the opening into the case is closed; after some minutes, generally
about twenty or more, the cotton is for the most part removed, and has passed
through the meshes or spaces between the wires of the case.. This process is
peculiarly suited to Indian and American cotton seed, but may be resorted to
when treating other cotton seed. The seed may then be ground and pressed
in the ordinary manner, or be first subjected to the action of a shelling mill
similar to that heretofore used for shelling oats, but the furrows in the
stone are made larger, say, about two and a quarter inches wide in a
stone of about four feet diameter. The seed then falls on to a flat screen
composed of two or three sieves or surfaces of perforated zinc, the perforations
being of different sizes, the first to admit of the smaller broken pieces to fall
through, the second to allow the larger pieces to fall through, and then the
remainder will pass over the end of such screen. This screen is vibrated at
the rate of about two hundred strokes per minute. The husks and seeds are
subjected to the action of a blast as they descend from the screen.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to the
machinery above described separate and apart from the process herein
described; but what I claim is the subjecting of cotton seed to the process of
machinery as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Burstall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
GEORGE BURSTALL. (L.S.)