AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING COTTON SEED
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Samuel Fish of 770 Broad Street Newark
New Jersey United States of America, at present residing at the Langham Hotel
in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED PROCESS
AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING COTTON SEED Communicated to me from
abroad by Thomas Taylor of Washington in the United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Samuel Fish at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th February 1883.
FREDERICK SAMUEL FISH of 770 Broad Street Newark New Jersey United
States of America at present residing at the Langham Hotel in the County of
Middlesex. "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING COTTON
SEED [Communicated to me from abroad by Thomas Taylor of Washington in
the United States of America]
"
This invention is an improved mode of cleaning and purifying cotton seed.
Heretofore such seed have been used, both for crushing or grinding into meal and
for planting in the condition in which they come from the cotton. In this condition
they are surrounded by a coating of the cotton fibre, and have a thick shell-or
pericarp, the inner portions of which are hard and fibrous. In this natural
condition the seeds include in their mass a large amount of indigestible and useless
matter which when the seeds are ground for food is inseparable, except at great
expense from the valuable and neutrative portions. Further, in this condition the
good and bad seed are not distinguishable or separable, and when planted must be
used in greater quantities in order to insure the requisite number of sprouts.
It has been found by careful and extensive experiments that if the cotton fibre
be remove from the seeds and the coating of woody or intercellular or gummy
matter be taken off and the pericarp be reduced to the hard woody shell which lies
next to the kernel, the value of the seed is greatly enhanced, both for food purposes
and for planting. For the latter purpose especially the seeds are greatly improved,
since first the bad seeds may be removed by floating them upon water, while the
good seeds sink therein; and further for the reason that by the reduction of the
fibrous and woody coating the seeds sprout more quickly after planting. For other

page_text: purposes the seeds, when their pericarp is reduced to the hard, woody inner shell
alone, are more valuable, since their shells may be easily cracked and removed from
the kernel.
The process consists in treating these cotton seeds with sulphuric acid in the
special manner herein after described whereby the seeds are left with a hard woody
shell capable of protecting them from dampness or other injury in handling or
storage, but are fitted especially for crushing or sprouting.
In carrying out the invention a quantity of cotton seeds, in the natural crude
state is placed in a suitable vessel and sulphuric acid of 66° Beaumé is added
thereto in the proportion of from 2 to ounces of the acid to a pound of the
seed, the amount of acid between these two extremes varying with its strength.
This amount has been found advantageous and sufficient for rapidly effectually and
safely removing the fibrous and other outer coating from the seed. It is essential to
the proper operation of the process and the suitable preservation of the seed that it
should be dry, to prevent heating when the acid is added. The acid should be
evenly stirred with the mass of seed. The seed is subjected to the action of the
acid about fifteen minutes although it may be held therein even longer as the acid
does not readily act on the hard-woody inner shell. After the seed is removed
from the acid, or the acid removed from the seed either of which may be done by
any suitable means, the seed is subjected to friction by any suitablo machinery
such as brushes or revolving cylinders. The seeds are next subjected to a bath of
lime water to remove all traces of the acid. After this the seeds are washed in
pure water to remove the lime, and are then dried, when they are fit for storage or
for immediate tie, either by the planter or to crush for food. Instead of lime it is
obvious that any equivalent alkalino substance may be used.
For the purpose of carrying on this process apparatus is employed consisting of
a series of vats containing the acid the alkali and the water for washing. A pair
of endless chains pass over the tops and beneath the bottoms of the vats
The seed to be treated is placed in perforated buckets or receivers suspended
from the chains. The chains are guided by rollers so that as they travel, the
buckets are lowered into the liquid in the vats, are drawn through the liquid and
are raised out at the other end of the vat.
Each bucket is taken in this way from vat to vat. At the end of the series of
vats where the chains descend beneath the vats the bottom of each bucket as it
arrives is released and the contents of the bucket are thereby caused to be
discharged on to an endless travelling surface of wire gauze. Beneath the gauze
steam pipes are arranged for the purpose of drying the seed. The drying may be
facilitated by causing the seed to be transferred from one endless surface to another.
Spreaders are provided to distribute the seed uniformly on the surface of the
gauze.
The dry seed is delivered from the wire gauze into a suitable receptacle.
The seed contained in the buckets or receivers is agitated whilst in the liquors
and this is effected by arms fixed upon an upright shaft. Each bucket contains
such a shaft and the shaft has a bevilled pinion at its upper end which engages
with a corresponding wheel.
The wheel is turned at the proper times, that is to say when the bucket is
immersed in either of the vats, by pinion teeth formed on the boss of the wheel
engaging as the chains move forward with racks fixed over the vats. To prevent
the mass of seed in the bucket turning with the axis and arms the sides of the
buckets are corrugated or arms projecting inwards are fixed upon them.
An alternative arrangement consists in placing the seed in a perforated cylindrical
receiver carried horizontally at the end of a crane arm. The vats are on wheels
and are brought up in succession as they are required.
By lowering the arm of the crane the receiver is brought down into the liquor in
the vat.
The receiver is then made to rotate and an agitator within it is simultaneously
turned in the opposite direction.

page_text: After a sufficient time the crane arm is raised and the receiver is lifted out of
the vat, the vat is moved on and another vat is brought forward for use in turn.
The receiver has doors in the side for filling and emptying it. When the receiver
is lifted by raising the crane arm to its highest position lugs upon the hinges of
the doors come against fixed stops, and the stops cause the doors automatically to
open.
This is the position for filling the receiver.
Similarly when the receiver is turned over the doors may be caused to open to
discharge the contents.
In this process it will be observed that the proper result depends upon the
removal of the fibre and outer coating alone. It is essential that the action of the
acid and friction should be suspended before the hard shell is removed or
fractured.
"
The process is so conducted that only the outer rough and fibrous covering is
removed and the hard woody shell capable of polish and completely protecting the
kernel remains; and an alkaline bath arrests the action at the proper point and
leaves the seeds in proper condition and entirely unharmed. It is incidental to the
condition brought about by this process that the seeds, when designed for planting,
may be placed in water without injury for the purpose of separating the perfect
from the imperfect-the latter floating, the former sinking. The seeds may then
be dried, and those unfit for planting may be used for other purposes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frederick Samuel Fish in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th August 1883.
FREDERICK SAMUEL FISH of 770 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey, United
States of America at present residing at the Langham Hotel in the County of
Middlesex "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING COTTON
SEED A communication to me from abroad by Thomas Taylor of Washington in
the United States of America
"
This Invention is an improved mode of cleaning and purifying cotton-seed.
Heretofore such seed have been used, both for crushing or grinding into meal and
for planting, in the condition in which they come from the cotton. In this
condition they are surrounded by a coating of the cotton fibre and have a thick
shell or pericarp the inner portions of which are hard and fibrous. In this natural-
condition the seeds include in their mass a large amount of indigestible and useless
matter which when the seeds are ground for food is inseparable except at great
expense from the valuable and nutritive portions. Further in this condition the
good and bad Beed are not distinguishable or separable-and when planted must be
used in greater quantities in order to insure the requisite number of sprouts. It
has been found by careful and extensive experiments that if the cotton fibre be
removed from the seeds and the coating of woody or intercellular or gummy matter
be taken off and the pericarp be reduced to the hard woody shell which lies next to
the kernal the value of the seed is greatly enhanced both for food purposes and for
planting. For the latter purpose especially the seeds are greatly improved since,
first, the bad seeds may be removed by floating them upon water while the good
seeds sink therein, and further for the reason that by the reduction of the fibrous
and woody coating the seeds sprout more quickly after planting. For other
purposes the seeds when their pericarp is reduced to the hard woody inner shell
alone are more valuable since their shells may be easily cracked and removed from
the kernal.
The process consists in treating these cotton seeds with sulphuric acid in the
special manner hereinafter described whereby the seeds are left with a hard woody
shell capable of protecting them from dampness or other injury in handling or
storage but are fitted especially for crushing or sprouting.
In carrying out the invention a quantity of cotton-seed in the natural crude
state is placed in a suitable vessel and sulphuric acid by preference of 66° Beaume
is added thereto in the proportion of from two to four ounces of the acid to a
pound of the seed the amount of acid between these two extremes varying with its
strength. This amount has been found advantageous and sufficient for rapidly
effectually and safely removing the fibrous and other outer coating from the seed.
It is essential to the proper operation of the process and the suitable preservation
of the seed that it should be dry to prevent heating when the acid is added. The
acid should be evenly stirred with the mass of seed. The seed is subjected to the
action of the acid about fifteen minutes although it may be held therein even
longer as the acid does not readily act on the hard woody inner shell. After the
seed is removed from the acid or the acid removed from the seed either of which
may be done by any suitable means the seed is subjected to friction by any suitable
machinery such as brushes or revolving cylinders. The seeds are next subjected to
a bath of lime-water to remove all traces of the acid. After this the seeds are
washed in pure water to remove the lime and are then dried when they are fit for

page_text: storage or for immediate use, either by the planter or to crush for food.
lime it is obvious that any equivalent alkaline substance may be used.
Instead of
For the purpose of carrying on this process apparatus is employed such as is
represented by the drawings annexed.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section, Figure 2 an end elevation partly in
section and Figure 3 is a plan of a portion of the apparatus.
The apparatus consists of a series of vats a. a. say five or more in number.
They contain the acid, the alkali and the water for washing. A pair of endless
chains b. b. pass over the tops and beneath the bottoms of the vats.
The seed to be treated is placed in perforated buckets or receivers c. c. suspended
from the chains. The chains are guided by rollers so that as they travel the
buckets are lowered into the liquid in the vats, are drawn through the liquid and
are raised out at the other end of the vat.
Each bucket is taken in this way from vat to vat. At the end of the series of
vats where the chains descend beneath the vats the bottom of each bucket as it
arrives is released by hand or otherwise and the contents of the bucket are thereby
caused to be discharged on to an endless travelling surface d of wire gauze.
Beneath the gauze steam pipes e. c. are arranged for the purpose of drying the seed.
The drying may be facilitated by causing the seed to be transferred from one
endless surface to another. Spreaders not shown in the drawing are provided to
distribute the seed uniformly on the surface of the gauze.
The dry seed is delivered from the wire gauze into a suitable receptacle.
The seed contained in the buckets or receivers is agitated whilst in the liquors
and this is effected by arms c. c. fixed upon an upright shaft c². Each bucket
contains such a shaft and the shaft has a bevilled pinion at its upper end which
engages with a corresponding wheel c³.
The wheel is turned at the proper times that is to say when the bucket is
immersed in either of the vats by pinion teeth formed on the boss of the wheel
engaging as the chains move forward with racks f. f. fixed over the vats. To
prevent the mass of seed in the bucket turning with the axis and arms the sides of
the buckets are corrugated or arms projecting inwards are fixed upon them.
9. g. are guides for the buckets. The chain wheels over which the chains b. b. pass
are driven in the manner represented in the drawing.
An alternative arrangement consists in placing the seed in a perforated cylindrical
receiver carried horizontally at the end of a crane arm. The vats are on wheels
and are brought up in succession as they are required.
By lowering the arm of the crane the receiver is brought down into the liquor
in the vat.
The receiver is then made to rotate and an agitator within it is simultaneously
turned in the opposite direction.
After a sufficient time the crane arm is raised and the receivor is lifted out of the
vat, the vat is moved on and another vat is brought forward for use in turn,
The receiver has doors in the side for filling and emptying it. When the
receiver is lifted by raising the crane arm to its highest position lugs upon the
binges of the doors come against fixed stops and the stops cause the doors
automatically to open.
This is the position for filling the receiver.
Similarly when the receiver is turned over the doors may be caused to open to
discharge the contents.
In this process it will be observed that the proper result depends upon the
removal of the fibre and outer coating alone. It is essential that the action of the
acid and friction should be suspended before the hard shell is removed or fractured.
The process is so conducted that only the outer rough and fibrous covering is
removed and the hard woody shell capable of polish and completely protecting the
kernal remains and an alkaline bath arrests the action at the proper point and
leaves the seeds in proper condition and entirely unharmed. It is incidental to the
Condition brought about by this process that the seeds when designed for planting

page_text: may be placed in water without injury for the purpose of separating the perfect
from the imperfect-the latter floating, the former sinking. The seeds may then
be dried and those unfit for planting may be used for other purposes.
Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the manner of
performing the same I would have it understood that I claim the process of and
apparatus for the preparation of cotton seed substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof I the said Frederick Samuel Fish have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Sixth day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.