cotton+ginning

The object of ginning is to remove the seed from the cotton with as little damage to the fibres as possible. The fibres cling to the seed very tenaciously and their removal is necessarily rough and violent, causing much broken and damaged fibre. Two kinds of gins are used, known as the "saw gin" and the "roller gin." The saw gin is best suited for short-staple cotton, while the roller gin is used for both short and long staples. Eli Whitney invented the saw gin in 1792 and the invention was a principal factor in the growth of the American cotton industry. Prior to its introduction no one could remove the fibre from seed at a greater speed than 6-lb. or 7-lb. per week - A modern power gin can handle over 5,000-lb. of seed cotton per day. The roller or Macarthy gin is not so rough with the cotton as the saw gin; it is more efficient but not so productive.

" Hinganghat " or " Bant " cotton is probably the finest class of cotton grown in India, having a staple of fully 1-in. in length, and being fine and somewhat silky. This particular variety is rarely exported, being used mostly by Indian spinners for their better class yarns. The Indian cottonsof the Liverpool market are divided into three groups: Surats, Bengal and Madras Surats - Surat is a small port in the Bombay Presidency, from which a large quantity of this cotton was formerly exported. The cottons of the Surat group constitute by far the largest portion of the Indian crop They are: Surtee - This is one of the best of the Surat cottons, and has a staple of ⁷/₈-in. to 1-in. in length Broach is a good white cotton of ⁷/₈ in staple, with a good ginning percentage Dharwar is an acclimatised American cotton of ⁵/₈-in. to ³/₄-in staple. It has a nice colour, but is not very strong Dhollera is a cotton similar to Broach, grown in the Ahmedabad district of Bombay, and is much used in the local mills Oomra, or Oomrawuttee comprises a small group of cottons of various qualities, grown in the Central Provinces and Berar Khandeish is an Oomras cotton of a medium length. The Deccan grows a mixed Khandeish cotton of an inferior quality Comptah is a cotton descended from Broach and has a staple of ³/₄-in to ³/₈-in. Bagalkote is a North Bombay cotton Scinde - The native variety is the poorest of the Surat cottons. It has a very short staple, and is dirty. Recently, however, cotton from Egyptian and American seed has been grown, and shows fairly good results. Bengal - Bengal cottons are short and dirty, and of a quality similar to Scinde. They average about ⁵/₈-in staple, and are only suitable for the coarsest counts Madras - The Madras cottons are: Tinne velly, Westerns, Northerns, and Coconada Tinnevelly is the best and is one of the few Indian cottons which may be suitably mixed with American. It is very white in colour, clean and strong. A fair quantity is imported into England. Westerns is a poorer variety than Tinnevelly, being dull and harsh and not so clean, but it has a fairly long staple. Northerns is a better cotton than Westerns, being softer and silkier, though not so white. Coconada, or Red Coconada, as it is sometimes called, is a highly-coloured cotton, with a moderate staple. Cambodia (or "Tinnevelly American") is a new Madras cotton, which is very similar to Uplands American, with a fine, strong fibre of about 1-in. staple. This cotton has been a great success, and probably has a good future before it.

This state produces more cotton than any other country in Africa, except Egypt, and cotton is the most important crop in the colony. Cotton growing is purely a native industry. The quality is excellent and compares with some of the best American. The native cultivates a quarter to half an acre and sells the cotton to the ginning firms. Improvements in transport by rail and lake will lead to new districts being opened up. The native cultivator is being encouraged to improve his methods of farming. Uganda cotton is 1¹/₂-in to 1³/₁₆-in. in length and is generally worth from 150 to 350 points above the price of American Middling. It is believed that this colony could produce 500,000 bales annually.

A defective or stringy cotton, caused by ginning the cotton when too damp.

A defective cotton, having cut fibres caused by ginning with blunt saws, over-feeding of the machine, too great a speed of the saws, or rubbing of the grid bars on the saws, etc.

Fibres adhering to the seed after ginning and known as " linters " are put through a form of carding which makes a sheet of fibre which is put up in rolls and sold as cotton batting. It is used for stuffing purposes.

A variety of Bengal cotton, grown in Rajputana, comprising a mixture of the following varieties: - G. Indicum - Staple ³/₄-in., ginning 32 per cent. G. Indicum Mollinoni - Staple ¹/₂-in., ginning 40 per cent. G. Verum - Staple ¹/₂-in. to ⁵/₈-in., ginning 36 per cent. G. N. Bengalense - Staple ¹/₂-in. to ³/₄-in., ginning 33 per cent. G. N. Roseum - Staple f-in., ginning 36 per cent. G. N. Cutchicum - Staple ³/₈-in., ginning 36 per cent.

The best indigenous cotton of Madras and the best type of Tinnevellys. Karunganni cotton is now mainly sold as such. It is grown in villages near Tuticoron, Tinnevelly, Madura, Salem. A variety of G. Indicum, white colour, staple about i-in. Ginning 25 to 26 percent. Cotton tendered under this name must not be less than ⁷/₈-in. staple (see also "Company No. 2" and "Company No. 3")

There are three classes of cotton grown in Burma: - (1) Shan, staple about 1-in. ginning return 40 per cent; (2) Wa gale, grown in the Dry Zone, is whitish, and of good strength. This gives the bulk of the Burma crop; (3) Nanking, good staple, fairly strong, and is a tree-cotton.

A native Indian cotton of a poor class; it is not strong, but very dirty, and is only used for coarse, low quality weft. It is grown in the Bombay Presidency. Staple about ⁷/₈-in. Ginning 34 to 35 per cent. Spins up to 20's. It is a very mixed class of cotton and contains five varieties.

A variety of cotton, grown in the West Indies and Fiji. It is a "free seeded" plant, that is, the lint grows on single seeds as is usual, whereas in the ordinary Kidney cotton of South America the seeds adhere together in clusters, making ginning difficult. The new hybrid variety was discovered in New Guinea.

This term is applied to the raw cotton in its condition just as picked from the plant. The fibres are still adhering to the seeds which are about twice as heavy as the lint or usable fibres. The first mechanical process the seed cotton is put through is that of ginning.

This is a defective cotton produced by ginning wet or unripe seed cotton, or sometimes by a wrong adjustment of the brushes that take the lint from the ginsaws. The fibres in these strings do not separate easily, while many of them are knocked out in the cleaning processes at the mill and go into the waste.

Defective cotton caused through ginning it while too wet and thus forming strings. Also called stringy cotton.

Reddish-brown coloured cotton, grown in Guntar and parts of Nellore, Kistna and Godavari districts of Madras and South-east Hyderabad. Staple ³/₈-in. to ⁷/₈-in. Ginning 23 per cent. Suitable for spinning up to 20's warp (G. Obtusifolium Coconada-Gammie and G. Indicum-Verrapatti)

A very rough cotton grown in Eastern Bengal and Assam. G. Sylhetense is khaki coloured. Staple ³/₈-in. to ¹/₂-in. Ginning percentage 43

A mixture of Upland American (G. Hirsutum) and New Orleans (G. Mexican) types of American cotton, the former predominating. Acclimatised in southern part of the Dharwar district and in Northern Mysore. Slightly inferior to, but distinctly less leafy than Kumptas. So called because at one time it was largely saw-ginned, but is now mainly roller-ginned. Staple ³/₄-in. to ¹/₈-in. Ginning 30 per cent. It has been replaced to a great extent by Gadag No. 1

A variety of Salem cotton grown in Coimbatore, Trichinopoly, and parts of South Arcot in India. Staple ³/₄-in. and ginning percentage of 25. It is also the general name for the Herbaceum constituent of Tinnevelly cottons.

A type of American upland (G. Hirsutum) obtained direct from Cambodia in 1905. The best is grown in Coimbatore district and West Madura (India). When well grown and properly handled probably the best of Indian cottons. The best irrigated Cambodia is 1¹/₈ in staple. The unirngated frequently only ⁷/₈ in staple annual production irrigated about 120 000 bales, unirngated 50 000. Ginning percentage 33. Suitable for spinning up to 36 s warp. It is uniform in length, creamy fine and strong.

A mixture of varieties of G. Neglectum, belonging to the Oomra class. Grown in Central India States. Staple ⁵/₈-in. to ³/₄-in. Ginning 33 per cent. Spins up to 16's/20's weft.